Hong Kong Secondary Students Union
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The Hong Kong Secondary Students Union (Chinese characters: 香港中學生聯盟, pinyin: Xiānggǎng Zhōngxuéshēng Liánméng) is a neoconservative pro-democracy student organisation in Hong Kong established in August 2003 by some pro-democratic secondary school students of Hong Kong. Formed by various students’ associations (SA’s) and students’ councils (SC’s) of secondary schools, it is the third-largest politically-involved youth organization in Hong Kong, after the Hong Kong Federation of Students and the Hong Kong Youth and Tertiary Students Association.
The HKSSU’s stated goals are to study social and political issues from a student’s perspective, to speak out on government policies affecting secondary school students, and to raise awareness and sense of responsibility among young people towards social and political issues. Activities include the annual Youth Conference in Hong Kong, as well as participation in various political demonstrations.
Advisors to the HKSSU include four barristers, one solicitor, twelve university professors and lecturers, two clergy, one reporter, one accountant, and two doctors.
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[edit] Political activism
Secondary school students in Hong Kong were traditionally perceived as being indifferent to politics, until an ad-hoc group of secondary students (中學生關注基本法第23條立法聯盟) called about 3000 students to take part in the political demonstration in 2003 against Article 23 of Hong Kong’s Basic Law, after noticing heated discussions among students about the proposed legislation. After the demonstration, the ad-hoc group reorganized itself and became a registered organization under the name Hong Kong Secondary Students Union.
[edit] Political demonstrations
HKSSU has been active in many political demonstrations since its inception, including:
- the pro-democracy demonstration demanding universal suffrage in 2007 and 2008 on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2004;
- the demonstration against the interpretation of Basic Law by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on April 11, 2004;
- the pro-democracy demonstration demanding universal suffrage in 2007 and 2008 on July 1, 2004;
- the pro-democracy demonstration demanding universal suffrage in 2007 and 2008 on January 23, 2005;
- the demonstration on April 17, 2005 against the history revisionism in Japanese textbooks;
- the demonstration against the interpretation of Basic Law by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on April 24, 2005;
- the rally on May 31, 2005 commemorating the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989;
- the pro-democracy demonstration demanding universal suffrage on 2007 and 2008 on July 1, 2005;
- the pro-democracy demonstration demanding a timetable of democratization on December 4, 2005 and
- March 18, 2007 protest.
Despite HKSSU’s success to mobilize a large number of students in the first 1 July Rally in 2003, it seemed unable to call such a great number of students to join later demonstrations, and people who marched in the name of the union were mostly either members of the executive committee or core members. Many teenagers did participate in the demonstrations, but they did not follow the union.
Nevertheless, HKSSU did participate in most of the protests organized by the pro-democracy camp, including as the anti–Tiananmen massacre protests, not only for expressing the students’ voice, but also for raising funds to keep the union running.
[edit] Other political involvements
Besides participating in political demonstrations, the HKSSU has also been active in other political activities, including
- participating in various public discussion forums; and
- organizing and participating in promotional events to encourage voter turnout.
[edit] Other activities
The HKSSU was also involved in other activities, including conducting a survey among secondary school students on educational issues (funding cuts in particular) in December, 2003; and the issue of various position papers on mostly educational policies.
On the 1 January 2005, they joined a donation campaign raised by the pro-democracy camp, raising funds for people affected by tsunami of South Asia. They established counters in Mong Kok and Causeway Bay, and successfully raised more than $70000.
Besides, they also organize the Youth Conference every year.
[edit] Youth Conference
The Youth Conference is held annually by HKSSU in Hong Kong.
[edit] Youth Conference 2004
YC 2004 was co-organized by the HKSSU, Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor (HKHRM) and Hong Kong Democratic Development Network (HKDDN), with the purpose of:
- training for critical thinking, debating and communicating skills,
- agglomerating the united power of youths,
- making youths more concerned about public affairs,
- learning about the Hong Kong Children's Council.
For the organizing committees, many walk-in teenagers, as well as some Executive Committees of the union who were F.5 or F.7. The director of this year was Kitty Ng, the chairlady of HKSSU.
More than 160 students from different schools applied for attending this conference, and 85 of them were chosen to participate in the activity. A pre-camp workshop was held on July 21, 2004 in Esther Lee Building of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. A 5-day camp was held on July 25 – July 29, 2004, at Shaw College and a mock debate was held in Legco.
[edit] Youth Conference 2005
This year, the focus was put on the theme of ""Democratic School", together with some concepts about children rights. It was jointly organized by HKSSU, HKHRM, and Hong Kong Democratic Development Network (HKDDN).
The organizing committees were mainly filled by some non-EXCO Members of HKSSU, together with staff of HKHRM and HKDDN. The directors of Youth Conference 2005 were Ian Leung of HKSSU, Kit Chan of HKHRM and Chris Lo of HKDDN.
A 4-day camp was held on August 1 – August 4, 2005, at Chung Chi College of CUHK. A post-camp workshop was held the City University of Hong Kong on August 13 and the mock debate was held in Legco on August 20.
[edit] Youth Conference 2006
The Executive Committee decided to organize another Youth Conference this summer, with the theme of "unequal distribution of wealth". It was jointly organized by HKSSU, HKHRM, and Hong Kong Democratic Development Network (HKDDN).
The organizing committees were mainly filled by some non-EXCO Members & EXCO Members of HKSSU, together with staff of HKHRM and HKDDN. The chairpersons of Youth Conference 2006 were Ben Chung Kam Lun of HKSSU, Valerie Chan Wing Yin of HKHRM .
A 4-day camp was held on July 24 – July 27, 2006, at United College of CUHK. A workshop was held on August 12, 2006 at the HKPTU headquarters.
[edit] Internal Unrest
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The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. (March 2008) |
[edit] First Power Struggle (July - August, 2005)
Since the "October Meeting" in 2004, there had been many debates on topics such as how to vote, how to elect, and should the post of "Eternal Honorary Chairman" remains.
After the unsuccessful and illegal leadership election in October 2004 (and because of this Kitty Ng remain as chairwoman until the January Meeting in 2005), in November 2004, chairwoman Kitty Ng and executive committee member, William Lo argued that if a new president produced by a meeting that failed to have a legal number of people attending should not be recognized. Finally, Ng found a lawyer to prove that that chairman should be recognized if the union edit the "Rules of Election". However she refused to accept any change of the HKSSU charter. This angered many students. Many active members said that Ng and other old members were "dictators". This also caused conflicts between Ng and the chairman-elect in the October meeting, Ian Leung. Many members left the Union as well.
Later, the executive committee held a meeting on January 16, 2005. This meeting that didn't have an enough number of members to attend produced Ian Leung as the second president of the union.
There were four groups of people inside the union, one supports Ian Leung and one supports vice-chairman for external affairs, Derek Chan who usually represents the union to speak to the media, another is a neutral one. The three groups of students often urged on anything in the meetings and the online forum of the union, one group supports the idea of "the union should care more about the students and not just to ask for democracy or call the members to take part in the anti-Japanese protests".
In June 2005, Leung tried to reunite the union. It successfully stop the conflicts for a short period.
However in July 2005, criticisms both on Ian Leung and Derek Chan increased. Factional meetings were held. On July 14, active member Wu Tin Yau criticized Leung in the online forum of the union, however his post was locked by some conservative members in the executive committee. Some members said that this showed that the freedom of speech in the union was not enough.
On July 15 2005, the union held an emergency meeting. However in the meeting, Leung didn't answer the questions by the students, this caused the "Signature Movement". Opposition members such as former chairwoman Kitty Ng criticized Leung for holding a "illegal meeting". On July 17, 2005, VCE Derek Chan wrote a pronouncement that the opinions on the online forums "can't be handle" because some of the students who criticize the union are "not members of the union". Later, the supporters of Chan openly asked president Leung that he must explain the reason that why he didn't take part in the April 17 protest and why he was banned from school for three weeks.
In August, both Leung and Chan were involved in scandals in the Youth Conference 2005 and resigned. The power struggle was over at last, with de facto victory of the neutrals, who would later control the Union until the Conservative Takeover of the Executive Committee in October 2006.
[edit] Second Power Struggle (February - August, 2007)
[edit] Background
The Union is a member of the pro-democracy camp and this stand is not under dispute. Besides, the Union was often classified as a liberal student organization.
However since many founding members were promoted to universities, some of the remaining members, although strongly dislike both the SAR and the Beijing Government, are relatively conservative. Members have different views over controversial LBGT issues, such as same-sex marriage, homosexual rights, legislation against sexual orientation, also as well as sex openness. The ruling faction of the union opposes all these above issues.
[edit] Conservative Takeover of the Executive Committee
Conservative Tony Kwok Tin-lap was narrowly elected chairperson in October 2006. The conservative "Student Rights Front" faction soon occupy a majority of the seats in the Executive Committee after a snap election in April 2007.
In early 2007, Kwok controversially compared same-sex marriages with murders[1]. There were even rumors that the Union will invite members of the conservative Society For Truth And Light to become advisers.
Though both opposed Kwok, the Liberals and Social Democrats were not united enough to push down the conservatives. The Liberals boycotted Executive Committee meetings since March and Social Democrats even left the Union.
[edit] Conservative Division
On May 30, 2007, Student Rights Front leader Fung Ka-chun introduced the "motion of no-confidence" against Chairperson Kwok, citing the reason that "he could not accept the opportunist policies of Kwok Tin-lap".
Under great pressure from members, the conservatives was reunited in August 2007, which later merged with the progressives to form the Progressive Conservative Front, but still it suffered a landslide defeat in the 2007 Exco Election, winning only 4 out of 15 seats.
[edit] Controversies
[edit] Independence
The union claims to be independent in finance and the administration, and is not sponsored by any political parties. However Human Rights Monitor (hereafter short-termed as HRM) and the Democratic Development Network (hereafter short-termed as DDN) were just too close to the top-profile members of the Union. In 2005, the two factions supporting HRM and DDN respectively started a destructive power struggle, which in fact pushed the Social Democrats to power. The HRM and Social Democratic alliance remained in power until the conservatives took power in November 2006.
The Human Rights Monitor is being accused by conservatives and Social Democrats to be "too involved" in union affairs. Even for the liberals, some former executive committee members were quoted to have said that the union would eventually become a puppet of HRM if the Union could not maintain its independence.
Since the conservatives took power, cooperation and communication between HRM and the Union became more or less symbolic. Mistrust and discontent rose between both organizations.
[edit] Factional Problems
The union faced with serious factional problems, with two major power struggles since its establishment in 2003. Factional problems hindered the future development of the Union.
[edit] References
- “Secondary school students care about democracy” (in Chinese), 2003. Article in the Hong Kong Education City web site (a subsidiary of the Education and Manpower Bureau)
- Official website of the HKSSU (in English)
- [2]
