The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) is a
pro-Beijing conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
political party in Hong Kong. Chaired by
Starry Lee and holding 13
Legislative Council seats, it is currently the largest party in the legislature and in terms of membership, far ahead of other parties. It has been a key supporting force to the SAR administration and the
central government
A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or del ...
's policies on Hong Kong.
The party was established in 1992 as the "Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong" by a group of traditional Beijing loyalists who pledged allegiance to the
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...
. As the
transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong
Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admin ...
was approaching, the party actively participated in elections in the last years of the
colonial rule and became one of the major party and the ally to the government in the early post-handover era.
The DAB took a major blow in the
2003 District Council election due to the unpopular
Tung Chee-hwa administration and the proposed legislation of the
Article 23 of the
Basic Law. However, the party still managed to recover its loss in the following decades, further expanded its electoral base and membership and absorbed the pro-business
Hong Kong Progressive Alliance in 2005, becoming the a dominant force in Hong Kong politics.
The party received electoral successes in the
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
and
2011 District Council elections, winning 136 local elected offices at its peak, and won 13 seats in the
2012 Legislative Council election thanks to its effective electoral strategy. In the
2019 District Council election, however, the party received a significant loss of four-fifth of its seats the midst of the
widespread anti-government protests.
History
Founding and the reunification (1992–1998)
The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong was founded as part of a wave of political party formations as Hong Kong approached its
handover to China and amid electoral reform initiated by Governor
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, (; born 12 May 1944) is a British politician who was the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997 and Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992. He was made a life ...
. The
1991 Legislative Council election, which saw the defeat of all pro-Beijing candidates, was a catalyst to the forming of the DAB.
In January 1992, director of the
Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office
The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council is an administrative agency of the State Council of the People's Republic of China responsible for promoting cooperation and coordination of political, economic and cultural ties betwe ...
Lu Ping publicly encouraged the organisation of pro-Beijing political parties for the 1995 elections.
Politicians from the
Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) and other pro-Beijing organisations including the
Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers (FEW) formed the DAB on 10 July 1992, with
Tsang Yok-sing as the party's first chairperson.
The DAB was the first major pro-Beijing party as a part of the
united front
A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts and/or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political ...
on the eve of the
handover of Hong Kong
Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admin ...
.
Compared with other pro-Beijing parties in Hong Kong, the DAB was more grassroots-oriented.
The 56 founding members of the DAB held political views that were sympathetic towards China and emphasised friendly Sino-Hong Kong relations.
At the time of founding, many of them held political positions associated with the Chinese government or pro-Beijing groups in Hong Kong. Chairman Tsang Yok-sing was a delegate to Guangdong Province People's Political Consultative Conference, vice-chairman
Tam Yiu-chung
Tam Yiu-chung, GBM, JP (; born 15 December 1949) is a pro-Beijing politician in Hong Kong. He is a current member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC), former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Leg ...
and
Chan Yuen-han were executive members of the pro-Beijing trade union FTU, and secretary
Cheng Kai-nam
Gary Cheng Kai Nam (, born 29 May 1950, in Hong Kong with family roots in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China) is a Hong Kong politician who served as vice-chairman for the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong party.
He was edu ...
was appointed by the Chinese government as the
Hong Kong Affairs Advisor.
Political scientist Sonny Lo Shiu-hing notes that early DAB members are also "pro-Hong Kong" in the sense that they advocate for the interests of Hong Kong and lobby Chinese officials.
The DAB became the direct rival to the major
pro-democracy
Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an authoritarian regime to a full ...
party
United Democrats of Hong Kong
The United Democrats of Hong Kong (; UDHK) was a short-lived political party in Hong Kong founded in 1990 as the united front of the liberal democracy forces in preparation of the 1991 first ever direct election for the Legislative Council of ...
and its successor
Democratic Party, which was formed in 1994. The DAB first fielded a candidate in the 1993
Regional Council
Regional Council may refer to:
* Regional Council (Hong Kong), disbanded in 1999
** Regional Council (constituency)
Regional council may refer to:
* Regional council (Cameroon)
* Regional council (France), the elected assembly of a region of Fran ...
by-election and lost.
In the following year, the DAB participated in the
1994 District Board elections, where 37 of its 83 candidates were elected.
In 1995, it participated in the
municipal elections, winning eight directly elected and two indirectly elected seats. Major leaders of the DAB participated in the
1995 Legislative Council election. It was regarded as test cases of the popularity of the new party. Three of the four party leaders were defeated by pro-democracy candidates in the election, including party chairman Tsang Yok-sing who lost to
Liu Sing-lee of the
Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood
The Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood (ADPL) is a Hong Kong pro-democracy social-liberal political party catering to grassroots interest with a strong basis in Sham Shui Po. Established on 26 October 1986, it was on ...
(ADPL) in the
Kowloon Central constituency.
The DAB took part in the preparation for establishing the Special Administrative Region on the eve of the
handover of Hong Kong
Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admin ...
. In January 1996, Tsang Yok-sing, Tam Yiu-chung, Ng Hong-mun and Lee Cho-jat were appointed to the
Preparatory Committee. It had 46 members elected to the Beijing-controlled
Selection Committee in November 1996. In the following month, the Selection Committee elected 10 DAB members to the
Provisional Legislative Council
The Provisional Legislative Council (PLC) was the interim legislature of Hong Kong that operated from 1997 to 1998. The legislature was founded in Guangzhou and sat in Shenzhen from 1996 (with offices in Hong Kong) until the handover in 1997 an ...
(PLC). The DAB and the
Hong Kong Progressive Alliance (HKPA), another pro-Beijing party, allied with each other in the crucial Provisional Legislative Council debate on the substantial arrangements for the
1998 LegCo elections. This move was tacitly endorsed by the
Heung Yee Kuk, and heralded as the unofficial merger of the parties. The Provisional Legislative Council, which was controlled by the pro-Beijing camp, vetoed the
democratic reform
Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an authoritarian regime to a full ...
introduced by the last British governor
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, (; born 12 May 1944) is a British politician who was the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997 and Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992. He was made a life ...
and replaced the
first-past-the-post
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast the ...
with the
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
method in the Legislative Council elections, so that the weaker DAB would be able to exploit the benefit of the proportional representation by taking a seat in every
geographical constituency
In Hong Kong, geographical constituencies, as opposed to functional constituencies, are elected by all eligible voters according to geographically demarcated constituencies. There are currently 5 geographical constituencies in Hong Kong, return ...
without having a majority of the votes. After the SAR was established, Tam Yiu-chung and was also appointed to the
Executive Council by
Chief Executive
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
Tung Chee-hwa
Tung Chee-hwa (; born 7 July 1937) is a Hong Kong businessman and politician who served as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong between 1997 and 2005, upon the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July. He is currently a vice-chairman of the Chi ...
as the representative of the party.
Early Tung Chee-hwa administration and Article 23 setback (1998–2003)
The DAB's electoral campaigns have been largely assisted by Beijing and its united front organs. The
Liaison Office would mobilise various social groups and organisations to campaign for and to vote for the party, including employees of PRC state-owned companies and grassroots organisations such as the
New Territories Association of Societies (NTAS) and the Kowloon Federation of Associations (KFA). The DAB's sister organisation FTU also mobilised its workers to campaign for the DAB members. The FTU also sent a recommendation letter to its four hundred thousand members to seek support for DAB candidates.
In the 1998 LegCo election, the DAB took five directly elected seats with a quarter of the popular vote, compared to only two seats with 15% of the votes in the 1995 elections. According to Karl Ho, the change from a candidate-based system to an electoral list proportional representation system benefitted the DAB.
In December 1998, the party's 5th Central Committee decided to increase a Vice-Chairmanship,
Ip Kwok-him and Cheng Kai-nam were subsequently elected as vice-chairmen. In the
first District Council elections in November 1999, the party filled in 176 candidates, 83 of which were elected, more than double compared to the 1994 elections.
In the
second SAR LegCo elections in September 2000, despite the conflict of interests scandal of Cheng Kai-nam, the DAB became a clear winner, capturing 11 seats in total, 7 in geographical constituency direct elections, 3 in
functional constituencies and 1
Election Committee constituency. Although Cheng Kai-nam was elected, he soon resigned his party posts and LegCo seat under public pressure. After DAB candidate
Christopher Chung Shu-kun losing to pro-democracy Independent
Audrey Eu
Audrey Eu Yuet-mee is a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong and was founding leader of the Civic Party. She was a member of the Executive Committee of the Civic Party, focusing on party development. In politics, Eu has fo ...
in the
10 December Hong Kong Island by-election, the DAB commanded 10 LegCo seats by the end of 2000.
In July 2002 the beginning of the
second term of Tung Chee-hwa's administration, Chairman Tsang Yok-sing was appointed to the Executive Council under the
Principal Officials Accountability System
Principal Officials Accountability System, commonly referred to as the Ministerial system (), sometimes the Accountability System, was introduced in Hong Kong by chief executive Tung Chee Hwa in July 2002. It is a system whereby all principal ...
(POAS), succeeding Tam Yiu-chung. However the governing coalition between Tung Chee-hwa the DAB and the pro-business
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
suffered from growing disunity as the popularity of Tung administration dropped. Although it continued provide stable support to the government as Beijing's demand, it paid a hefty political price in the sense of increasing middle-class disaffection with the party and growing rank-and file complaint. The DAB was increasingly frustrated by unequal political exchange with the government and the skimpy political rewards meted out by Tung. Tsang Yok-sing even openly aired his displeasure and advocated power sharing with the government.
In the wake of the controversies over the
legislation
Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to ...
of
Article 23 of the
Basic Law, which outlaws treason, sedition, subversion and secession against the central government, the image of DAB was severely undermined by its unconditional support and defence of the legislation. The
November 2003 District Councils elections saw the worst electoral performance in party's history, only 62 of the 206 candidates were elected. The party vice-chairman and LegCo member Ip Kwok-him was defeated in his own power base and long-time headquarter
Kwun Lung by the pro-democracy
The Frontier member and LegCo member
Cyd Ho Sau-lan by a narrow margin of 64 votes. The election results led to the resignation of chairman Tsang Yok-sing. Tsang claimed that the electoral setback was due to the DAB's "Tung loyalist" public image. In December the party's Standing Committee elected
Ma Lik
Ma Lik, GBS, JP (; 23 February 1952 – 8 August 2007), was a Legislative Councillor, and was the Chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), a pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong.
Education
Ma Lik attended ...
as Tsang's successor.
Late 2000s expansion and electoral victories (2004–2012)
The
2004 LegCo electoral campaign unfolded amid an economic rebound partly engineered by Beijing's up-lifting measures. The PRC athletes' impressive gains in the
August 2004 Athens Olympics and the 50 Chinese Gold Medalists' visit to Hong Kong right before the polling induced among the voters a strong nationalistic pride that was beneficial to DAB candidates. The DAB also managed to exploit the proportional representation to equalise votes for two of the candidates the party endorsed standing in the same constituency. Although support of
Chan Yuen-han (FTU) was far higher than
Chan Kam-lam
Chan Kam-lam, GBS, JP (; born 22 January 1949) is a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong representing the Kowloon East constituency. He is also a core member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hon ...
(DAB) in
Kowloon East, according to earlier polls, the two organisations managed to have both elected. At
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km2, . The island had a population of a ...
constituency, the ticket of Ma Lik and
Choy So-yuk ultimately benefitted from a democratic camp mix-up that led to the resignation of the
Democratic Party Chairman,
Yeung Sum. The DAB become the largest political party in the Legislative Council to be represented with 12 seats (if including the two members ran under the FTU banner), with the pro-business Liberal Party coming second with 10 seats and the Democratic Party coming third with 9 seats.
On 16 February 2005, the DAB merged with the Hong Kong Progressive Alliance, and was renamed as the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong. The two parties were merged with new committees and leadership in May, Ma Lik was re-elected as chairman and Ip Kwok-him, Tam Yiu-chung,
Maria Tam
Maria Tam Wai-chu (; born 2 November 1945) is a senior Hong Kong politician and lawyer. She is a member of the Committee for the Basic Law of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) since 1997 and the chairman of the Operati ...
and
Lau Kong-wah as vice-chairmen. Since the merge with the Progressive Alliance, the DAB has gradually leaned to a more pro-middle-class position. In April 2007 leadership election, solicitor
Gregory So
Gregory So Kam-leung () is the former Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong.
Education
So holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Carleton University and a double degree of Master of business administration an ...
succeeded Maria Tam as the vice-chairman of the party. The four new Standing Committee members were all professionals; besides Gregory So,
Cheung Kwok-kwan, the Chairman of the Young DAB was a solicitor,
Starry Lee Wai-king was an accountant,
Ben Chan Han-pan was an engineer. Meanwhile, the pro-labour and pro-grassroots FTU faction began to run in elections in their own banner. On 8 August 2007, Chairman Ma Lik died of cancer in
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, sou ...
. Tam Yiu-chung was elected as the new chairman by the Standing Committee on 28 August.
The
District Council Elections in 2007 saw the great bounce back of the DAB by winning 115 seats, more than a quarter of the seats in the district level, far ahead of other political parties. Gregory So resigned as the vice-chairman and was succeeded by
Ann Chiang
Ann Chiang Lai-wan, SBS, JP, ( was born on 16 May 1955) is the chair of C&L Holdings and a former pro-Beijing member of Hong Kong Legislative Council. She is the second daughter of Chiang Chen who was a Hong Kong entrepreneur.
Background
C ...
when he was appointed as the
Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development by Chief Executive
Donald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen (; born 7 October 1944) is a former Hong Kong civil servant who served as the second Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2005 to 2012.
Tsang joined the colonial civil service as an Executive Officer in 1967, occupyin ...
in May 2008, among other DAB members appointed to the government. Gregory So was later revealed by the media as having
Canadian citizenship
Canadian nationality law details the conditions in which a person is a national of Canada. With few exceptions, almost all individuals born in the country are automatically citizens at birth. Foreign nationals may naturalize after living in ...
, which he had to renounce as a result. The scandal became an electoral issue in the following
2008 LegCo Election that the pan-democracy camp used to attack the DAB candidates. Nevertheless, the DAB remained as the largest party in the Legislative Council in the election, winning 13 seats in total (if including the FTU candidates who had DAB membership). Chan Yuen-han and
Wong Kwok-hing were founding members of the DAB and used to run for the DAB, they began to run under the FTU banner with more pro-labour position. In October, Tsang Yok-sing, the founding Chairman of the DAB, was elected as the
President of the Legislative Council, becoming the first LegCo President with party membership. His seat at the Executive Council was succeeded by vice-chairman Lau Kong-wah.
In the
2011 District Council Elections, the DAB recorded a greatest victory in party's history, accumulating 136 seats, about one-third of the total, more than all pro-democratic parties combined.
Leung Chun-ying era (2012–2017)
The DAB supported
Leung Chun-ying
Leung Chun-ying (; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor, who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since Ma ...
in the
2012 Chief Executive election. In the
Legislative Council elections in September, with the party's first use of the electoral tactics of splitting candidate lists, the DAB won three seats in the
New Territories West for the first time and two seats
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km2, . The island had a population of a ...
since 2004. It continued as the largest political force supporting the SAR administration today.
The DAB stood firmly with the government in the
constitutional reform debate in 2014–15, and subsequently the
massive Occupy protests against the
2014 NPCSC decision. On 17 April 2015,
Starry Lee Wai-king became the first woman to chair the party, succeeding the outgoing Tam Yiu-chung. In the
2015 District Council election, the first election under Starry Lee's chairmanship, the DAB retained its largest party status by winning 119 seats (including two who also ran under FTU banner), although incumbent legislators
Christopher Chung
Christopher Chung Shu-kun, SBS, JP (; born 31 March 1957, commonly known as "Tree Gun") was elected to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in 2012, representing the Hong Kong Island constituency. He is also former chairman of Eastern Distri ...
and
Elizabeth Quat
Elizabeth Quat Pei-fan, BBS, JP (, born 23 December 1966) is a Hong Kong politician associated with the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong. She is a co-founder of the Internet Professional Association ...
were ousted by newcomers.
After the 2014 Occupy protests, there was an emerging
pro-independence movement
Throughout the history of Puerto Rico, its inhabitants have initiated several movements to obtain independence for the island, first from the Spanish Empire from 1493 to 1898 and since then from the United States.
A spectrum of pro-autonomy, p ...
in which the DAB strongly opposed. In the
2016 New Territories East by-election, DAB member
Holden Chow ran against the
Civic Party
The Civic Party (CP) is a pro-democracy liberal political party in Hong Kong. It is currently chaired by barrister Alan Leong.
The party was formed in 2006 on the basis of the Basic Law Article 45 Concern Group, which was derived from the ...
's
Alvin Yeung and pro-independence
Hong Kong Indigenous'
Edward Leung. Chow received about 35 per cent and about 10,000 votes short of the Civic Party candidate.
With four veteran incumbents,
LegCo president Tsang Yok-sing,
Tam Yiu-chung
Tam Yiu-chung, GBM, JP (; born 15 December 1949) is a pro-Beijing politician in Hong Kong. He is a current member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC), former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Leg ...
,
Chan Kam-lam
Chan Kam-lam, GBS, JP (; born 22 January 1949) is a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong representing the Kowloon East constituency. He is also a core member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hon ...
and
Ip Kwok-him, retiring, the DAB set a more conservative electoral strategy in the
2016 Legislative Council election, fielding only nine candidate lists in the geographical constituencies and District Council (Second) functional constituency, two fewer than the last election. The DAB got all their nine candidate lists elected as a result with three traditional functional constituencies with a drop of their vote share from 20.22 to 16.68 per cent vote share. Chan Hak-kan succeeded Ip as the new caucus convenor.
In the
2017 Chief Executive election, the DAB which commanded over 100 seats in the
Election Committee
The Election Committee is a Hong Kong electoral college, the function of which is to select the Chief Executive (CE) and, since 2021, to elect 40 of the 90 members of the Legislative Council. Established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Ho ...
, endorsed and nominated former
Chief Secretary for Administration
The Chief Secretary for Administration, commonly known as the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong, is the most senior principal official of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Chief Secretary is head of the Governme ...
Carrie Lam
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ( Cheng; ; born 13 May 1957) is a retired Hong Kong politician who served as the 4th Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022. She served as Chief Secretary for Administration between 2012 and 2017 and Sec ...
, which help her to defeat former
Financial Secretary John Tsang
John Tsang Chun-wah, GBM, JP (; born Mui; born 21 April 1951) is a Hong Kong former senior civil servant and government official who was the longest-serving Financial Secretary in the Special Administrative Region period to date.
Born in ...
with 777 votes.
In return, the Carrie Lam administration appointed Cheung Kwok-kwan to be a new member in the Executive Council.
Carrie Lam era (2017-2022)
In the
March 2018 Legislative Council by-election triggered by the disqualification of
Youngspiration
Youngspiration is a localist political party in Hong Kong founded in 2015. It emerged after the 2014 Hong Kong protests (often dubbed as the "Umbrella Revolution") with an agenda of protection of Hong Kong people's interests and culture agains ...
's
Yau Wai-ching over the
oath-taking controversy, the DAB supported its member
Vincent Cheng
Vincent Cheng Hoi-Chuen GBS OBE JP (, 16 July 1948 – 28 August 2022) was a Hong Kong banker who was HSBC Holdings plc. He was also chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, the Asia-Pacific branch of HSBC and fou ...
and the former FTU legislator
Tang Ka-piu who joined the DAB before the election to run in
Kowloon West and New Territories East respectively. Despite Tang's loss, Cheng made a surprising upset by narrowly defeating independent democrat
Yiu Chung-yim, making it the first time the pro-Beijing camp received greater vote share than the pro-democrats in a geographical constituency since 2000 and the first time a pro-Beijing candidate won in a geographical constituency by-election since 1992.
In October 2020, Apple Daily reported that Carrie Lam had blamed the DAB for failing to raise political support for her administration, saying the DAB had failed for years in providing the government with "talent."
Lam was also reported to be unhappy with two government ministers from the DAB, and fired one but kept the other to avoid embarrassing the DAB.
In November 2020, following the expulsion of 4 pro-democracy lawmakers from the Legislative Council, the DAB expressed support for the decision and accused the pro-democracy lawmakers of harming the country's interest.
In February 2021, following calls from
Xia Baolong that only "patriots" should be part of the government, the DAB supported his position and said that it should be done, as it claimed pro-democracy figures had done things "
cluding advocating Hong Kong independence to poison young people, supporting black violence to damage the rule of law, colluding with foreign forces to interfere in Hong Kong's affairs and even attempting to steal the power to govern by running in an election to paralyse the government."
In August 2022, after
Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, the DAB said it fully supported the mainland Chinese government and military in response to the visit.
Ideology
The DAB is known as a Beijing loyalist party of "loving China and loving Hong Kong". It stresses the "one country" part of the "
One country, two systems
"One country, two systems" is a constitutional principle of the People's Republic of China (PRC) describing the governance of the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
The constitutional principle was formulated in the earl ...
" principle. As for issues on democratic reform, it takes a position to support slower pace in relative to what the
Democratic Party supports, DAB claims by doing so stability and prosperity will be achieved. Former party chairman
Tam Yiu-chung
Tam Yiu-chung, GBM, JP (; born 15 December 1949) is a pro-Beijing politician in Hong Kong. He is a current member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC), former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Leg ...
claims the DAB to be "rational and pragmatic".
The party's main claim is that it is natural for ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong to be "patriotic" and support the
government of the People's Republic of China
The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, mili ...
.
[Chan, Ming K. So, Alvin Y. White, Lynn T. Crisis and Transformation in China's Hong Kong. 002(2002). M.E. Sharpe. .] The party supports nearly every policy of the HKSAR Government.
* Furthering co-operation between Hong Kong and the mainland, promoting mutual trust, and creating opportunities economically.
* "Constructive monitor" of the HKSAR government, scrutinising various government policies and decisions, providing "constructive policy alternatives" whilst securing the progress, prosperity, social stability and harmony for Hong Kong.
* To break down social barriers based on the common interest of Hong Kong; to strengthen communications with Hong Kong residents to better reflect their opinion; to be more accountable to the public.
* To nurture political talent by committing the necessary funding, organising training, providing opportunities for those who want to take part in politics.
The DAB's support of
social welfare
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
improvements, including greater spending on education, housing, and employee retraining, has given it strong grassroots support.
The party in general embraces
big tent
A big tent party, or catch-all party, is a term used in reference to a political party's policy of permitting or encouraging a broad spectrum of views among its members. This is in contrast to other kinds of parties, which defend a determined i ...
positions, but has gradually leaned to a more pro-middle-class position and professional-oriented since its merger with the
Hong Kong Progressive Alliance (HKPA) in 2005.
The party also takes a
social conservative
Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social instituti ...
stance, espousing 'traditional family values' and opposing same-sex marriage despite it not being in the party's official platform.
The DAB collaborated with evangelical
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
organisations in 2006 in drafting a submission on "harmonious families".
These organisations include the Hong Kong branches of the
Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International
The Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (FGBMFI) is a fellowship of lay businessmen. Its main purpose is to bring interest to the Christian gospel. Theologically, the organization has its roots in Pentecostalism.
The headquarters ...
and the
Christian Broadcasting Network
The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series '' The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing ''Superbook'' ...
.
Internal factions
As the largest political party of Hong Kong, the party can be divided into several main factions:
* Business sector, with business and professionals background and also former members of the
Hong Kong Progressive Alliance.
* Rural leaders representing the interests of
Indigenous inhabitants of the New Territories.
* Members with
Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers background.
* Unionists, i.e. members belonging or came from the
Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions.
Controversies
Comments of Tiananmen massacre
On 15 May 2007, then-party chairman
Ma Lik
Ma Lik, GBS, JP (; 23 February 1952 – 8 August 2007), was a Legislative Councillor, and was the Chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), a pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong.
Education
Ma Lik attended ...
provoked widespread condemnation within the local community when he claimed that
"there was not a massacre" during the
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...
, as there was "no intentional and indiscriminate shooting". He said the popular belief of foreigners' "rash claims" that a massacre took place showed Hong Kong's lack of maturity. He said that Hong Kong showed, through this lack of patriotism and national identity, that it would thus "not be ready for democracy until 2022".
[
Vice-chairman ]Tam Yiu-chung
Tam Yiu-chung, GBM, JP (; born 15 December 1949) is a pro-Beijing politician in Hong Kong. He is a current member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC), former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Leg ...
defended Ma, but questioned the timing: "people will understand it gradually".[Ambrose Leung, "Fury at DAB chief's Tiananmen tirade", Page 1, ]South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
, 16 May 2007 However, Vice-chairman Lau Kong-wah, immediately offered to apologise, and distanced the party from Ma, saying that Ma had expressed "a personal opinion".[「馬力認輕佻拒撤觀點,否認促為六四定調 願受黨處分」, ]Ming Pao
''Ming Pao'' () is a Chinese-language newspaper published by Media Chinese International in Hong Kong. In the 1990s, ''Ming Pao'' established four overseas branches in North America; each provides independent reporting on local news and colle ...
, 7 May 2007 The DAB Central committee declined any further action against Ma following their meeting, and there was no official apology.
Allegations of irregularities
The DAB has been accused by pro-democracy media and politicians of providing benefits to certain people, including seafood meals and local trips to outlying islands at prices significantly lower than market rates to win their support. Other allegations include arranging free transport to mobilise people for their causes.
During the 2015 District Council elections, the South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
reported that elderly residents of care homes were being bussed to polling stations by DAB-arranged transport. A DAB candidate, Daniel Lam Tak-shing, was alleged to have instructed them on who to vote for outside of a polling station, raising questions on whether those votes were cast of their own will. He was also accused of giving out free gifts to these residents. However, none of these practices are strictly illegal in Hong Kong.
Young DAB
The youth wing is the Young Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (Young DAB). In August 2022, it released results of a survey, showing that 30% of those polled in Hong Kong did not identify as being Chinese. The Young DAB said that the government should enhance national identity, and vice-chairman Nicholas Muk Ka-chun said that "If you've looked at the Education Bureau's website ..you would have noticed that the word 'patriot' does not exist".
Election performances
Legislative Council elections
Municipal elections
District Councils elections
Leadership
Chairpersons
Vice-Chairpersons
* Tam Yiu-chung
Tam Yiu-chung, GBM, JP (; born 15 December 1949) is a pro-Beijing politician in Hong Kong. He is a current member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC), former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Leg ...
, 1992–1997, 2002–2007
* Cheng Kai-nam
Gary Cheng Kai Nam (, born 29 May 1950, in Hong Kong with family roots in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China) is a Hong Kong politician who served as vice-chairman for the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong party.
He was edu ...
, 1997–2000
* Ip Kwok-him, 1998–2009
* Lo Chi-keung, 2000–2005
* Maria Tam Wai-chu, 2005–2007
* Lau Kong-wah, 2005–2012
* Gregory So Kam-leung, 2007–2008
* Ann Chiang Lai-wan, 2008–2015
* Carson Wen, 2009–2011
* Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, 2011–2022
* Starry Lee Wai-king, 2011–2015
* Thomas Pang Cheung-wai
Thomas Pang Cheung-wai, SBS, JP (, born 1954) is the current vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest pro-Beijing party in Hong Kong.
Career
Pang has been serving in the Sha Tin ...
, 2013–2019
* Brave Chan Yung, 2013–present
* Gary Chan Hak-kan, 2015–present
* Holden Chow Ho-ding, 2015–present
* Chan Hok-fung, 2019–2021
* Thomas Pang Cheung-wai
Thomas Pang Cheung-wai, SBS, JP (, born 1954) is the current vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest pro-Beijing party in Hong Kong.
Career
Pang has been serving in the Sha Tin ...
, 2021–present
Secretaries general
* Cheng Kai-nam
Gary Cheng Kai Nam (, born 29 May 1950, in Hong Kong with family roots in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China) is a Hong Kong politician who served as vice-chairman for the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong party.
He was edu ...
, 1992–1997
* Ma Lik
Ma Lik, GBS, JP (; 23 February 1952 – 8 August 2007), was a Legislative Councillor, and was the Chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), a pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong.
Education
Ma Lik attended ...
, 1997–2003
* Kan Chi-ho, 2003–2009
* Thomas Pang Cheung-wai
Thomas Pang Cheung-wai, SBS, JP (, born 1954) is the current vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest pro-Beijing party in Hong Kong.
Career
Pang has been serving in the Sha Tin ...
, 2009–2013
* Chan Hok-fung, 2013–2019
* Albert Wong Shun-yee, 2019–2021
* Chan Hok-fung, 2021–present
Treasurers
* Wong Kine-yuen, 1992–2017
* Chong Wai-ming, 2017–present
Deputy secretaries general
* Tso Wong Man-yin, 2005–2009
* Albert Wong Shun-yee, 2009–2011
* Chan Hok-fung, 2011–2013
* Chris Ip Ngo-tung, 2013–present
* Kin Hung Kam-in, 2017–present
* Vincent Cheng Wing-shun, 2017–present
* Joe Lai Wing-ho, 2017–present
* Frankie Ngan Man-yu, 2019–present
Senate chairmen
* Jose Sun-Say Yu, 2005–2015
* Lo Man-tuen, 2015–present
Representatives
Executive Council
* Ip Kwok-him
* Cheung Kwok-kwan
Legislative Council
District Councils
The DAB has won 21 seats in 10 District Councils (2020–2023):
National People's Congress
* Chan Yung
* Choy So-yuk
* Ip Kwok-him
* Tam Yiu-chung
Tam Yiu-chung, GBM, JP (; born 15 December 1949) is a pro-Beijing politician in Hong Kong. He is a current member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC), former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Leg ...
( NPCSC member)
* Wong Ting-chung
Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference
* Chau On Ta-yuen
* Rock Chen Chung-nin
* Chong Shaw-swee
* Chung Shui-ming
* Ip Shun-hing
* Starry Lee Wai-king
* Leung Che-cheung
* Lo Siu-kit
* Nancy Wong
* Michael Ngai Ming-tak
* Thomas Pang Cheung-wai
Thomas Pang Cheung-wai, SBS, JP (, born 1954) is the current vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest pro-Beijing party in Hong Kong.
Career
Pang has been serving in the Sha Tin ...
* Irons Sze
* Ricky Tsang Chi-ming
* Wong Ming-yeung
* Yu Kwok-chun
* Zhou Chun-ling
See also
* United Front Work Department
* United Front (China)
The United Front is a political strategy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) involving networks of groups and key individuals that are influenced or controlled by the CCP and used to advance its interests. It has historically been a popular fr ...
* Politics of Hong Kong
* List of political parties in Hong Kong
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Democratic Alliance For The Betterment And Progress Of Hong Kong
Chinese nationalism
Conservative parties in Hong Kong
Chinese Communist Party
Political parties established in 1992
Political parties in Hong Kong
1992 establishments in Hong Kong
Conservative parties in China
Social conservative parties