Activists are under investigation for subversion, but push ahead with a plan to elect an unofficial ‘Hong Kong parliament’, an idea launched in Toronto
Activists who launched a plan in Canada to elect an unofficial “Hong Kong parliament” say they are pushing ahead with the project, despite being put under investigation for subversion by authorities in the Chinese territory.
It proposes online elections, with voting by Hong Kong residents and members of the Hong Kong diaspora around the world.Hong Kong’s democratic movement has experienced major setbacks since large-scale protests in 2019, including the mass arrest of pro-democracy figures, the shutdown of media organizations and sweeping changes to the electoral system.
It said Ho, Leung and Yuen were being investigated for subversion, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment under the security law. Yuen said the prospect of investigation and arrest was “not a big deal” for him although it had shocked some of his family members. The parliament would be founded on “the principle of universal suffrage and will truly represent the voices and interests of Hong Kongers around the world,” said Ho.Hong Kongers had demonstrated their “democratic spirit” in official 2019 district elections, said Ho. Pro-democracy candidates won more than 80 per cent of seats, with a record turnout of 71 per cent, in what became the last polls staged in Hong Kong before the revamping of election laws.
Although Ho brushed off threats to his safety, Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan and Edmonton-Strathcona MP Heather McPherson said the situation was “gravely concerning,” in a letter last week to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.
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