At the age of 83, Martin Lee, known as the “father of democracy” in Hong Kong, was convicted for the first Time in his 40 years in politics.
As the most senior barrister in Hong Kong, Martin Lee is no longer a barrister, but a defendant who has been convicted and released on bail pending sentencing. When the gray-haired man was interviewed by the media, he simply said that “the possibility was already predicted” and “the lawsuit is either a win or a loss”, before getting into his car and leaving.
Former comrades are shocked by the verdict
At the age of 83, he took the verdict in stride, but his former comrades were shocked. In the 1980s and 1990s, Yang Yueqing, who was involved in the United Democrats of Hong Kong (UDHK) and the Democratic Party (DP) with Li, was the vice chairman of the Hong Kong Island East Branch of the DP and had been his mentor and friend for more than 30 years. She criticized the Chinese Communist Party for taking advantage of Li, which is very shameful, and felt painful for him.
Yang Yueqing said, “I feel very shocked and shameful. If the Chinese Communist Party continues to play this game today, especially to convict Mr. Li Zhuming, it is really the first shot to kill Hong Kong. I think the Chinese Communist Party and the Hong Kong government are very stupid, you did the most unwise thing that the whole world is watching you continue to sink. You often try to coax the Taiwanese, but you can’t fool them by doing so.
Colonial Chinese elite embark on political path
Born in 1938, Lee Chu-ming grew up in Hong Kong. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Hong Kong, he went on to study law in England to obtain his license, making him a typical Chinese elite of Hong Kong’s colonial era. In an interview with the Hong Kong media last year, Martin Lee confessed that he had considered emigrating in 1980, but what finally put him off was his love for Hong Kong.
Martin Lee said: If I am now a Family on the plane to leave Hong Kong, I will look back at this Hong Kong, when Hong Kong is the most difficult time you left? When I first started practicing as a barrister, I had no money. You’re making money now, the people of Hong Kong need you, and you’re gone? I couldn’t get past that.
Choosing to stay, he became a non-official member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council in 1985, and has been in politics ever since. At that time, China and Britain were negotiating on the future of Hong Kong, and Martin Lee was involved as the Chairman of the Bar Association to give his views.
In 1985, he was appointed by Beijing as a member of the Basic Law Drafting Committee. In 1989, he withdrew from the Committee because he was dissatisfied with the Communist Party’s bloody crackdown on the Beijing school movement, and has since “cut ties” with Beijing. He then devoted himself to the development of democracy in Hong Kong, founding Hong Kong’s first political party, the United Democrats of Hong Kong (UDHK), which later developed into the Democratic Party until 2008, when he announced that he would not run for the Legislative Council.
Giving up a secure Life for democracy
This Hong Kong political figure, who is respected both at Home and abroad as the “father of democracy” in Hong Kong, has been described by the Chinese Communist Party as a “gang of four” who “sang the praises of Hong Kong” and engaged in confrontation. He was described by the Chinese Communist Party as a “gang of four” who “sang the praises of Hong Kong” and engaged in confrontation. In Yang Yueqing’s eyes, he is a decent gentleman with excellent character. She described Mr. and Mrs. Li as “noblemen among Chinese” who could have lived a peaceful life but chose to pursue democracy and freedom all their lives.
Yang Yueqing said, “He could have lived a good life if he had been wiser and more intelligent, and had not bothered about so many things, and had not done what “Master” did not want you to do. But he is not, as in the end his pursuit of freedom, democracy and human rights is the same. This is what we admired about him from the beginning to the end, in the 1930s.
She does not support the independence of Hong Kong but is willing to travel with young people who oppose sending China
There is one thing, however, she cannot fully agree with Lee Chu-ming. Martin Lee’s father, was a Nationalist general, Li Yanhe. Yang Yueqing believes that this makes Lee different from some Hong Kong people in terms of “Greater China consciousness”. She recalled that two years ago, when she and Lee had a dinner in Taiwan, Lee told him personally that he did not think Hong Kong independence would succeed, and therefore did not support it. However, she said she noticed a reflection from Martin Lee during the 2019 anti-Send-China campaign.
Yang Yueqing said: He is convinced that the most important thing is the unity of Hong Kong people. Whether you are a pro-democracy camp, a self-determination camp like Wong Chi-fung, or a youth demanding independence for Hong Kong, we all have the same idea of demanding freedom and democracy. So I am very glad that he has reflected and changed in a very important way in his battle against sending China.
This is corroborated by what Martin Lee said after he was arrested and released on bail in April last year.
Martin Lee: I feel comfortable because for so many years and months, I feel sorry to see such a good young man being arrested to be charged, while I was not charged. I feel proud to have the opportunity to continue to walk this road to democracy with a group of outstanding young people in Hong Kong.
Analysis: The verdict will affect Hong Kong’s international status
The Chinese Communist Party called the “traitor” of Hong Kong’s hall of fame political figures, as early as 2000, went to the U.S. White House, lobbying members of Congress to support China’s accession to the WTO, is the originator of the “international line”, has been in the international spotlight, and last month was nominated for the Last month, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In an interview with our station, Hong Kong Institute of Public Opinion Research (HKIPR) Deputy CEO Chung Kin-wah believes that even such an iconic political figure with international reputation as Martin Lee has been convicted, the international community will not change its negative Perception of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong’s status in the international community will be more difficult to be recognized by the international community, which will have a negative impact on Hong Kong’s economy and international participation.
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