'Dropping self-determination not a compromise'

Joshua Wong (right) says dropping 'self-determination' from Demosisto's manifesto is not a compromise aimed at opening the door for members to run for Legco. Photo: RTHK

Joshua Wong

Demosisto co-founder and secretary-general Joshua Wong on Sunday dismissed suggestions that the group had compromised its values by dropping its support for Hong Kong’s self-determination’ in its manifesto.



“We never compromise to the regime and we never compromise to Hong Kong people”, Wong said.



He said it’s now clear that the majority of Hong Kong people support the five demands of the ongoing protest movement – including amnesty for protesters and an independent probe into alleged police brutality – and “how we can contribute more to this majority consensus… [matters more] than our personal beliefs in the previous day.”



Wong also said he hopes the manifesto change would remove existing hurdles for Demosisto – like registering as a limited company or opening a bank account.



Wong himself had also been barred from running in November’s district council elections, while another core member, Agnes Chow, was ruled ineligible to stand for a Legislative Council by-election in 2018 after election officials deemed them unable to uphold the Basic Law, citing Demosisto’s advocacy of self determination.



But Wong insisted that the substitution of ‘self-determination’ with ‘promoting Hong Kong's democratic and progressive values’ is not aimed at opening the door for Demosisto members to run in the Legislative Council elections later this year.



“Demosisto has not yet discussed… the upcoming Legislative Council election, but the reason for us to amend the policy platform and the statement of Demosisto is because we hope to maximise our support and our contribution to democracy movement in Hong Kong, and also try our best to engage in international advocacy,” he said.



Wong added that if officials want to disqualify any candidates, they would do so anyway, even without a valid reason.