Progressive Hong Kong Society 香港勵進會 | |
|---|---|
| Chairperson | Maria Tam |
| Founded | 14 February 1985 (1985-02-14) |
| Dissolved | 6 November 1990 (1990-11-06) |
| Merged into | Liberal Democratic Federation of Hong Kong |
| Ideology | Conservatism (HK) |
TheProgressive Hong Kong Society (Chinese:香港勵進會;PHKS) was a political group in Hong Kong. It was established on 14 February 1985 by the thenExecutive andLegislative Council memberMaria Tam. The party is considered conservative andpro-Beijing, in contrast to thepro-democracy forces which rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 90s.
The society's stated mission was to support the implementation of theSino-British Joint Declaration and maintain Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.[1] It was merged into theLiberal Democratic Federation of Hong Kong in 1990. Notable members of the group included pro-Beijing businessmen and politiciansJames Tien andVincent Lo, and futureChief ExecutiveLeung Chun-ying.[1][2]
It was established on 14 February 1985 after theSino-British Joint Declaration was signed and the colonial government began democratic reform. Headed by the thenExecutive andLegislative CouncillorMaria Tam Wai-chu and co-founded byPao Ping-wing,Philip Kwok Chi-kuen and Lester Kwok Chi-hang, the society was formed as a cross-sector political force consisting of business and professional representatives.[3] The aims of the society were to support the implementation of the Joint Declaration and maintain the stability and prosperity of the Hong Kong society before and after 1997.
The society held its first congress on 29 June 1985. Provisional chairman Maria Tam was elected as the first chairman, Philip Kwok the vice-chairman, Pao Ping-wing the secretary, and Lester Kwok the treasurer. Executive committee members included Veronica Wu,Kan Fook-yee, Tung Chee-ping,Lee Jung-kong,Lee Kai-ming, Addy Wong andRaymond Wu. At that time they had a total of 131 members, including two members of theHong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee, one member of theChinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), 41District Board members, 8 members from theUrban Council and theProvisional Regional Council, one member of theExecutive Council, two members of theLegislative Council, four members from theHeung Yee Kuk, three members of therural committees and 17 trade unionists.[4] It formed a close partnership with theHong Kong Civic Association, one of the oldest political organisations in the colony.[5]
The society received substantial grassroots support and was campaigned actively in elections againstpro-democracy forces. In the1988 District Board elections, the society fielded 49 candidates, the highest among political groups, and 41 of them were elected.[6] Another 11 members were appointed to the District Boards subsequently. In the April 1988 congress, Tam was re-elected as chairman while Lester Kwok,Chung Pui-lam and Yeung Fuk-kwong were elected vice-chairmen and George Pang Chun-sing elected as treasurer. Other new executive committee members includedLeung Chun-ying,Edward Ho, Lee Yiu-kwong, Kwan Yiu-wing andPeter Wong Man-kong.[7]
In the1988 Legislative Council election, the society won eight seats in the electoral colleges andfunctional constituencies.[8]
In 1990, Maria Tam co-founded theLiberal Democratic Federation of Hong Kong, a conservative political party. Many society members joined the new federation. Tam and Philip Kwok became the vice-chairmen in the new party.
