Abstract
The creation, utilization and mobilization of district-based federations, together with the gradual political co-optation of kaifong or neighborhood associations, are the prominent united front strategies of the Chinese authorities and their agents in the HKSAR. These kaifong associations have been reorganized under the new united front umbrella of district-based federations, constituting a powerful force in electoral preparation and mobilization of pro-Beijing voters and ensuring the victory of pro-Beijing candidates and parties in local direct elections. Furthermore, district-based federations are tasked to support the Hong Kong government policies and expected to be a politically and socially stabilizing force in the society. Most importantly, they work side by side with the DAB, FTU and Fujianese interest groups to constitute powerful electoral machines in local politics, trying to win the hearts and minds of more Hong Kong people. District federations are like the “transmission belt” of China’s new united front work in the HKSAR, penetrating deeply and extensively to every corner of the society. Penetrative politics has one ultimate objective: to stop the democrats from grasping more directly elected seats at the legislative and district level and increase the chance of success of the pro-Beijing candidates in the local elections.
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Notes
- 1.
Aline K. Wong, The Kaifong Associations and the Society of Hong Kong (Taipei: The Orient Cultural Service, 1972), pp. 3–4. Also see Aline Lai-Chung Kan, The Kaifong Associations in Hong Kong, unpublished PhD dissertation, Department of Sociology, University of California at Berkeley, March 1970.
- 2.
Wong, The Kaifong Associations and the Society of Hong Kong, pp. 42–43.
- 3.
For details of these strikes, see Leung Po-lung, “The Workers’ Movement in Hong Kong before the Japanese Occupation, 1937–1941,” 2017, in https://wknews.org/node/1362, access date: February 9, 2019. Also see Hong Kong Seamen’s Union website, in http://www.hksu1946.hk/main/pages.php?id=31, access date: February 9, 2019.
- 4.
Ibid., p. 4.
- 5.
Clement Tze Ming Tong, The Hong Kong Week of 1967 and the Emergence of the Modern Hong Kong Identity, unpublished MA thesis, Department of History, University of British Columbia, August 2008, pp. 31–33.
- 6.
Wong, The Kaifong Associations and the Society of Hong Kong, pp. 50–104.
- 7.
Although the non-governmental voluntary groups appeared to decline in the 1970s, it can be argued that kaifong associations remained socially and politically significant for the colonial government to maintain its legitimacy. For the decline of voluntary groups in Hong Kong during the 1970s, see Lam Wai-Fung and James Perry, “The Role of Nonprofit Sector in Hong Kong’s Development,” Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, vol. 11, no. 4 (2000), pp. 355–373.
- 8.
For details of the development and politicization of MACs and OCs, see Lo Shiu-Hing, “Party Penetration of Society in Hong Kong: The Role of Mutual Aid Committees and Political Parties,” Asian Journal of Political Science, vol. 12, no. 1 (June 2004), pp. 31–64.
- 9.
Ibid.
- 10.
For details, see its website in https://mkkfa.org.hk/about/about.html, access date: February 9, 2019.
- 11.
See Mongkok Kaifong Association, 1951–2011 (Hong Kong: Monkok Kaifong Association, 2011), p. 4.
- 12.
Ibid., p. 8.
- 13.
Mongkok Kaifong Association, 1951–2011, p. 124.
- 14.
See https://mkkfa.org.hk/activity/activity_2_006.html, access date: February 9, 2019.
- 15.
Ibid.
- 16.
See https://klnfas.hk/tc/, access date: February 9, 2019.
- 17.
See http://www.hk-if.org/special.php?id=9, access date: February 9, 2019.
- 18.
Hong Kong Commercial Daily, April 7, 2015.
- 19.
See Chan Yung, “Lee Lin-sang engaged himself fully into the community,” in http://news.takungpao.com.hk/hkol/politics/2015-04/2966923.html, access date: February 10, 2019.
- 20.
The First Inauguration Ceremony and Office-Bearers of the New Territories Associations Fraternization (Hong Kong: New Territories Associations Fraternization, 1979).
- 21.
Wen Wei Po, December 27, 2011, http://paper.wenweipo.com/2011/12/27/AY1112270004.htm, and the facebook of the New Territories West’s Residents Association, in https://www.facebook.com/, access date: February 10, 2019. Also see Ta Kung Pao, December 24, 2014 and January 15, 2016.
- 22.
“Thanks for your support at our New Territories region flagday on 11 Nov 2017,” Independent Assurance Report, in http://ntascs.hk/flagdayreport/Flagdayreport20171111chi.pdf, access date: February 1, 2018.
- 23.
See http://ntascs.hk/Sea-LandMarket.php, and http://www.fnty.org.hk/slide.php?moduleID=121, access date: February 8, 2018.
- 24.
See http://www.fnty.org.hk/slide.php?moduleID=76, access date: February 10, 2019.
- 25.
Remarks made by the chairman Yip Kam-hung, in http://www.fnty.org.hk/slide.php?moduleID=-18, access date: February 10, 2019.
- 26.
See http://www.fnty.org.hk/news.php?moduleID=-1, access date: February 10, 2019.
- 27.
“Severely condemning the remarks on the democracy wall of the Education University of Hong Kong, requesting the authorities that they should penalize the offenders,” in http://www.ntas.org.hk/blog_post.jsp?rid=91&cate_id=2, access date: February 10, 2019.
- 28.
See https://klnfas.hk/tc/, access date: February 10, 2019.
- 29.
Ibid.
- 30.
Also see the report in http://news.takungpao.com.hk/hkol/topnews/2015-10/3206750_print.html, access date: February 10, 2019.
- 31.
Wen Wei Po, September 13, 2010.
- 32.
“The Forty-two years of linkage between the SRA and Shumshuipo,” in https://kowloonpost.hk/2018/07/13/20180711p8/, access date: February 12, 2019.
- 33.
See the KTRA website, in https://ktra.klnfas.hk/tc/, access date: February 12, 2019.
- 34.
See https://zh-hk.facebook.com/pg/sspra.sspdc/about/?ref=page_internal, access date: February 12, 2019.
- 35.
See its facebook, https://zh-hk.facebook.com/pg/, access date: February 12, 2019.
- 36.
Hong Kong Commercial Daily, January 11, 2018.
- 37.
Ibid.
- 38.
See the federation’s website, in http://www.hk-if.org/special.php?id=9, access date: February 12, 2019.
- 39.
See the HKIF website, in http://www.hk-if.org/special.php?id=10, access date: February 12, 2019.
- 40.
See http://hkwanchai.lavendzpresspublishing.com/about.html, access date: February 12, 2019.
- 41.
See http://www.hk-if.org/msg.php?id=107, access date: February 12, 2019.
- 42.
See her attendance in an activity of the Lan Fang Women Association, in Ta Kung Pao, February 17, 2016.
- 43.
Ta Kung Pao, June 21, 2017.
- 44.
Hong Kong Commercial Daily, September 18, 2017.
- 45.
Wen Wei Po, August 12, 2017.
- 46.
Wen Wei Po, September 16, 2015.
- 47.
Wen Wei Po, November 7, 2016.
- 48.
Ta Kung Pao, September 6, 2017.
- 49.
Ibid.
- 50.
See the HKIF website, in http://www.hk-if.org/msg.php?id=411, access date: February 12, 2019.
- 51.
Ibid.
- 52.
Ibid.
- 53.
Apple Daily, November 20, 2018.
- 54.
Ibid.
- 55.
See https://www.hk01.com/, access date: January 25, 2019.
- 56.
Apple Daily, March 12, 2018.
- 57.
See Rebecca Chan’s campaign leaflet in November 2018.
- 58.
Ibid.
- 59.
See Rebecca Chan’s leaflet publicizing her campaign platform in November 2018.
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Lo, S.SH., Hung, S.CF., Loo, J.HC. (2019). Penetrative Politics from Neighborhood Associations to District Federations: Electoral Mobilization and Competition. In: China’s New United Front Work in Hong Kong. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8483-7_7
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