The New People's Party (NPP) is a
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 i ...
political party in Hong Kong. Chaired by
Regina Ip
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee (; ' Lau; born 24 August 1950) is a Chinese politician. She is currently the Convenor of the Executive Council (ExCo) and a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo), as well as the founder and current chair ...
, it is currently the fourth largest party in the
Legislative Council.
Established by former senior government official Regina Ip in 2011, the party aims at broadening the middle class and civil servant votes where the pro-Beijing camp had traditionally underperformed. Since Ip has strongly indicated her interest in becoming
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 ...
and has run in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
and
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
respectively, it has been suggested that the party is primarily a vehicle for that goal.
[Regina Ip hints at run for top job, ]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 ...
, 31 Jan 2011
The party won two seats in the
2012 Legislative Council election
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
, with Ip re-elected in
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, 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/km ...
and vice chairman
Michael Tien
Michael Tien Puk-sun (born 25 August 1950) is a Hong Kong politician, businessman and member of the Legislative Council for New Territories North West. He is the founder and chairman of the G2000 clothing retail chain and former chairman of ...
gained a seat in
New Territories West
New Territories West (NTW) is the western part of Hong Kong's New Territories, covering Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing and the Islands District.
History
Settlements in the area, except the Islands District, have been connected by the ...
. The NPP expanded its grassroots network by
forming an alliance with regional political group
Civil Force
Civil Force () is a district-based pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong. Since 2014, the Civil Force has entered an alliance with the New People's Party of Regina Ip. Headed by chairman Pun Kwok-shan, it had its stronghold in the Sha Tin a ...
in 2014. With the groundwork of the Civil Force, the party gained an additional seat in
New Territories East in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
.
As the NPP became closer with the
Beijing authorities, Tien split from the party with six other District Councillors in 2017. Being the vocal supporter of the SAR administration, the NPP received a devastating defeat in the
2019 District Council election amid the
widespread anti-government protests in 2019, with all of its 28 candidates being defeated and all of its 13 District Councillors being unseated.
Party beliefs
The party positions itself with the
pro-Beijing camp
The pro-Beijing camp, pro-establishment camp, pro-government camp or pro-China camp refers to a political alignment in Hong Kong which generally supports the policies of the Beijing central government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) t ...
. Ip has said that it targets the "
middle-class
The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Comm ...
", rather than the "
grass-roots
A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...
".
[ Its electorate base also largely comes from the civil service, especially retired officials from the disciplined services, due to Ip's background. The party's stated platform includes ]universal suffrage
Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stanc ...
, economic diversification[ and the reduction in the ]wealth gap
There are wide varieties of economic inequality, most notably income inequality measured using the distribution of income (the amount of money people are paid) and wealth inequality measured using the distribution of wealth (the amount of we ...
.[http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=106856&sid=30858941&con_type=1&d_str=20110110&fc=10 ''The Standard'' accessed 17 January 2011]
History
Early years
The leading figure of the New People's Party is Regina Ip
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee (; ' Lau; born 24 August 1950) is a Chinese politician. She is currently the Convenor of the Executive Council (ExCo) and a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo), as well as the founder and current chair ...
, who was the then Secretary for Security
The Secretary for Security is the member of the Government of Hong Kong in charge of the Security Bureau, which is responsible for public safety, security, and immigration matters.
The post was created in 1973 and since the Principal Offic ...
and the incumbent member of the Legislative Council, as well as the chair of the think tank Savantas Policy Institute. She founded the New People's Party on 9 January 2011. Michael Tien
Michael Tien Puk-sun (born 25 August 1950) is a Hong Kong politician, businessman and member of the Legislative Council for New Territories North West. He is the founder and chairman of the G2000 clothing retail chain and former chairman of ...
, former vice chairman of the 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 ...
and younger brother of former Liberal Party chair James Tien, is the deputy chairman. Another deputy chairman was Louis Shih Louis Shih Tai Cho () (born 1952 in Hong Kong) is a Chinese dermatologist in Hong Kong and deputy chairman of pro-Beijing New People's Party.
Shih grew up on a public housing estate in Kwun Tong, Kowloon. He graduated from La Salle College and the ...
.
The party intended to field ten candidates in the district council elections in November 2011.[ Candidates would include three former senior security service officers in Tony Liu Kit-ming, the soon-to-retire chairman of the Hong Kong Police Inspectors Association; Wat Ki-on, the retired former chairman of the Fire Services Department Ambulancemen's Union; and Tsui Chi-keung, the retired former chairman of the Fire Services Department Staff's General Association. It won four seats in total as a result.
Ip announced her interest in running for the ]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 ...
in the 2012 election, but failed to secure enough nominations to enter the race. She then endorsed 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 ...
, winner of the election. In September, both chair Regina Ip and deputy chair Michael Tien were elected to the Legislative Council in the LegCo elections. Regina Ip was subsequently appointed by Leung Chun-ying to the Executive Council in October 2012.
Alliance with Civil Force
The party expanded the network in the New Territories East by forming a political alliance
A political group is a group consisting of political parties or legislators of aligned ideologies. A technical group is similar to a political group, but with members of differing ideologies.
International terms
Equivalent terms are used differ ...
with the Civil Force
Civil Force () is a district-based pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong. Since 2014, the Civil Force has entered an alliance with the New People's Party of Regina Ip. Headed by chairman Pun Kwok-shan, it had its stronghold in the Sha Tin a ...
in February 2014. Civil Force leader Pun Kwok-shan Pun Kwok-shan, MH, JP (; born 1961) is a Hong Kong politician. He is vice-chairman of the New People's Party and member of Civil Force. He is also a former member of the Sha Tin District Council for Tin Sum.
Biography
Pun was first elected to t ...
was appointed Vice-Chairman of the New People's Party. With 17 Civil Force District Councillors and 2 independents joined the New People's Party, the party's seat in the District Councils jumped from 12 to 31.
In the 2015 District Council election, the NPP and Civil Force won 25 seats, while its seats in Tai Hang
Tai Hang () is an area southeast of Causeway Bay located in the mid-north of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is home to many luxurious private apartments. Residents are predominantly more affluent Hong Kong locals and expatriate profession ...
and Tai Koo Shing East in Hong Kong Island where Ip's base was taken by pro-democrats. Civil Force's base in Sha Tin was also lost to the pro-democrats with five veterans defeated by new faces.
The NPP scored a victory in the 2016 Legislative Council election by taking three seats in the geographical constituencies
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, returni ...
and doubled their vote share from 3.76 to 7.73 per cent. Incumbents Regina Ip and Michael Tien both received large vote share in Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, 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/km ...
and the New Territories West
New Territories West (NTW) is the western part of Hong Kong's New Territories, covering Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing and the Islands District.
History
Settlements in the area, except the Islands District, have been connected by the ...
respectively with new face Eunice Yung
Eunice Yung Hoi-yan (; born 7 June 1977) is a Hong Kong barrister and pro-Beijing politician. She is a member of the New People's Party (NPP) and the Civil Force (CF). She became member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for New Territorie ...
first elected in the New Territories East despite the allegation of her being backed by the Liaison Office.
2017 Chief Executive election and Michael Tien departure
In December 2016, the party endorsed Ip's second bid in the 2017 Chief Executive election. Due to the lobbying by the Liaison Office for former Chief Secretary 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 Secr ...
and pro-democrats' aim to send 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 ...
and retired judge Woo Kwok-hing
Woo Kwok-hing, GBS, CBE, QC (; born 13 January 1946) is a Hong Kong retired judge. He was the vice-president of the Court of Appeal of the High Court and former chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) and commissioner on Interc ...
into the race, Ip was squeezed out from canvassing a minimum number of 150 nominations in the 1,194-member 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 Hong ...
to enter the race for the second time. After the election, Ip said that the party may reposition itself to become less pro-establishment.
Michael Tien, the party deputy chairman, complained the election had "lost its shape" due to the increasing interference of "an invisible hand", referring to the Liaison Office. Tien indicated his support for John Tsang, although Ip endorsed Carrie Lam on the last day before the election. Tien eventually quit the party on 10 April with six District Councillors, citing the party's overly close tie with Beijing was one of the reasons of his departure. The numbers of Legislative Council seats dropped to two and District Councils to 19 as a result.
The party nominated Southern District Council
Southern District Council is the district council for the Southern District in Hong Kong. It is one of 18 such councils. The Southern District Council currently consists of 17 members, of which the district is divided into 17 constituencies, ...
lor Judy Chan
Judy Chan Ka-pui (; born 4 April 1980) is a Hong Kong politician who is a current member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong elected through the Elections Committee. She is a member of the New People's Party and was a former member of Southe ...
to represent in the 2018 Legislative Council Hong Kong Island by-election running against independent democrat Au Nok-hin
Au Nok-hin (; born 18 June 1987) is a pro-democracy politician in Hong Kong. He is the former member of the Legislative Council for Hong Kong Island from 2018 to 2019 and member of the Southern District Council for Lei Tung I from 2012 to 201 ...
for the seat left vacant by the oath-taking controversy which resulted in the disqualification of six legislators. The party combined forces with the (DAB) and the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) is a pro-Beijing labour and political group established in 1948 in Hong Kong. It is the oldest and largest labour group in Hong Kong with over 420,000 members in 253 affiliates and associated ...
(FTU) to form a united front against the pro-democrats. As a result, Chan was narrowly defeated in the election by only three per cent of margin by receiving more than 127,000 votes.
A staunch supporter of the government amid the massive protests against the extradition bill, the party saw a massive departure of its members, many of which were District Councillors. The number of District Councillors dropped from 25 in the 2015 elections to 13 only. In the 2019 District Council election, the party suffered a devastating defeat by losing all its 13 seats in the District Councils and failing to get any candidate elected in the landslide victory of the pro-democracy camp.
Current years
In February 2021, after Xia Baolong
Xia Baolong (; born 2 December 1952) is a Chinese politician. Originally from Tianjin, Xia began his political career in the Communist Youth League. He served as the vice mayor of Tianjin, governor and Communist Party Secretary of Zhejiang provi ...
called for only "patriots" to be part of the Hong Kong government, the NPP voiced full support and claimed that " e Legislative Council and the District Council, occupied by people who oppose the country's sovereignty and endanger national security... distorted Hong Kong's political system."
Performance in elections
Chief Executive elections
Legislative Council elections
District Council elections
Representatives
Executive Council
* Regina Ip
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee (; ' Lau; born 24 August 1950) is a Chinese politician. She is currently the Convenor of the Executive Council (ExCo) and a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo), as well as the founder and current chair ...
Legislative Council
District Councils
The party holds no District council seats after 2019 District Council election heavily defeated.
See also
*United Front Work Department
The United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (UFWD; ) is a department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) which is officially tasked with "united front work". For this endeavo ...
*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 ...
References
External links
Official website
*
*
{{Hong Kong political parties
Political parties established in 2011
Political parties in Hong Kong
2011 establishments in Hong Kong
Conservative parties in Hong Kong