NDI briefing by Peter Manikas to Congress on the Design Democracy Program in Hong Kong

The following are extracts from testimony given by Peter Manikas, National Democratic Institute (NDI) Director of Asia Programs in a presentation to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific on 11 June 2015 in relation to NDI programs, particularly collaboration with a ‘university partner’ on an ‘interactive website’ and ‘co-branded pages on social media’ in Hong Kong:

“The NDI has worked in Hong Kong since 1997 and its programs have been conducted at the request of, and in collaboration with, local partners such as universities and civil society organizations”.

“Over the past year, NDI’s programs in Hong Kong have engaged students, political parties, and civil society in substantive dialogue on electoral systems and the public consultation process to amend the method of electing the Chief Executive”.

“NDI supported a university partner to build an interactive website that allowed citizens to create their own models of universal suffrage. Online participation reflected the deep level of interest on electoral governance issues, particularly among young people over the past year. Communities also formed around co-branded pages on social media, which received even more user traffic than the interactive website”.

Peter Manikas briefing Cngress

A copy of his full statement is appended below.

Peter Manikas statement on Hong Kong in full

Since the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty under the “one country, two systems” framework in 1997, the promise of a democratic electoral framework outlined in Hong Kong’s constitution, the Basic Law, has not progressed according to the expectations of a large segment of the public. The Basic Law states that “the ultimate aim is the selection of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative nominating committee in accordance with democratic procedures” (Basic Law Art. 45). Currently, the Nominating Committee that elects the Chief Executive consists of 1,200 members belonging to 38 subsectors, including non-democratically selected “functional constituencies.” During the recent government-led consultation process on political reform, citizens discussed the possible addition 2 of new subsectors to make the committee more inclusive and representative (such as adding new subsectors to represent the interests of women or young voters), but restructuring would necessarily mean disrupting and eliminating existing subsectors or committee members. For these reasons, the Hong Kong government’s consultation document suggested that these changes are unlikely (Consultation Document, Chapter 3, Sec. 3.08 p. 10). Similarly, half of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) comprises of the same functional constituencies, creating a check over the legislative process.

On August 31, 2014, the National People’s Congress issued a Standing Committee decision that would allow Hong Kong citizens to directly vote for their Chief Executive in 2017 but retained restrictive conditions on the nomination procedure of eligible candidates. The Nominating Committee would resemble the previous committee that elected the Chief Executive, with the same number of members belonging to the same limited number of subsectors. Under this framework, Beijing effectively has the discretion to determine the candidates for the Chief Executive position. This political reform proposal triggered 79 days of protest and civil disobedience – what activists and the international media have referred to as the “Umbrella Movement.” In reaction to the movement, a coordinated campaign has been launched to discredit pro-democracy activists and movement organizers. Attacks on leading liberal professors and student leaders in Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing media, reports of Hong Kong government interference in academic appointments, and renewed calls for “patriotic education” in Hong Kong schools, have had a chilling effect on freedom of speech, freedom of association, and academic independence. The government’s political reform proposal will finally come to a vote by the Legislative Council (LegCo) on Wednesday, June 17. LegCo seems irreconcilably divided between the pan-democrat and pro-establishment party camps.

The government’s failure to meet the expectations of a large segment of the public on universal suffrage has left Hong Kong deeply polarized. While several university professors conceived of last year’s movement for universal suffrage and articulated many of the guiding principles, young people and student associations drove the mobilization effort and quickly assumed ownership of the movement. The false narrative put forward by Hong Kong and Beijing officials that the student-led activities were instigated by “external” or “foreign forces” may be used as a pretext to re-introduce national security legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law, which would drastically curtail civil liberties.

NDI has worked in Hong Kong since 1997 and its programs have been conducted at the request of, and in collaboration with, local partners such as universities and civil society organizations. The objectives of NDI programs in Hong Kong have been education and dialogue around comparative electoral models and to better enable citizens to effectively participate in the government-initiated electoral reform process. The Institute’s activities are inclusive of the many segments of Hong Kong society – including young people, lower income groups, ethnic minorities, women, and the elderly – and feature a diversity of political viewpoints across party and ideological spectrums. Pro-establishment as well as pan-democrat political party members participate in NDI-sponsored events. Any viewpoint may be expressed at the academic public forums or university-managed websites for which NDI has provided assistance. These are designed to be neutral and educational platforms and do not endorse any particular political position. By creating forums for inclusive political dialogue on various modes of governance, NDI activities provide a constructive outlet for grassroots voices, an opportunity for education, and the possibility of forging meaningful consensus.

Over the past year, NDI’s programs in Hong Kong have engaged students, political parties, and civil society in substantive dialogue on electoral systems and the public consultation process to amend the method of electing the Chief Executive. NDI supported a university partner to build an interactive website that allowed citizens to create their own models of universal suffrage. Online participation reflected the deep level of interest on electoral governance issues, particularly among young people over the past year. During the first official consultation period (December – May 2014), in which citizens could offer their views on universal suffrage, the website received more than 700 models of universal suffrage, many of which were submitted to the Hong Kong government. Communities also formed around co-branded pages on social media, which received even more user traffic than the interactive website. In parallel with these online platforms, local NDI partners organized several public debates offline, where prominent speakers from opposite ends of the political spectrum argued the merits of their proposals for political reform. The online platforms promoted these debates, allowed for sharing of citizen generated content on relevant topics, and crowd-sourced questions for event speakers¹.

References

¹Statement of Peter M. Manikas Director of Asia Programs, National Democratic Institute Before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific “Retreat or Revival: A Status Report on Democracy in Asia” June 11, 2015. See Peter Manikas statement here.

Photograph of Peter Manikas courtesy of:

Democracy Works: A Blog of the National Democratic Institute. Retreat or Revival: The State of Democracy in Asia. By Peter Manikas. 15 June 2015. See link: https://www.demworks.org/retreat-or-revival-state-democracy-asia

NDI website comments on the Design Democracy Hong Kong Project dated 29 January 2014

This is how the National Democratic Institute (NDI) described the Designing Democracy in Hong Kong project on their website on 29 January 2014:

Hong Kong citizens have never had the opportunity to directly elect their city's chief executive.

While Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, calls for “universal suffrage” as its “ultimate aim,” the head of government and numerous legislators have not been directly elected by citizens for the last 16 years.

Instead, Hong Kong’s chief executives have been chosen by special Election Committees with members elected from business and professional sectors. And, currently, almost half of all Legislative Council (LegCo) members have been elected through a similar system of “functional constituencies” that represent professional associations and special interests.

But Hong Kong’s citizens may finally have the opportunity for a more representative electoral system.

After decades of advocacy for electoral reform by Hong Kong activists and pro-democracy politicians, China’s supreme law-making body, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, determined that Hong Kong may have universal suffrage for the 2017 chief executive election.

An official five-month public consultation process on electoral reform, which relies on town hall-style meetings and official submissions to the government, began last month.

The Centre for Comparative and Public Law (CCPL) at the University of Hong Kong, with support from NDI, is working to amplify citizens’ voices in that consultation process by creating Design Democracy Hong Kong (www.designdemocracy.hk), a unique and neutral website that gives citizens a place to discuss the future of Hong Kong’s electoral system.

Since current policymakers who are not directly elected have little motivation to consider public recommendations, Design Democracy hopes to gauge and promote citizens’ preferences on different models of universal suffrage.

Launched on Dec. 3, the Design Democracy website is the first interactive, politically neutral place where citizens can learn about the Hong Kong political system, engage with others in a debate about electoral reform, and easily share their views on social media and directly with the Hong Kong government.

The website, accessible in English and both traditional and simplified Chinese, encourages public dialogue and participation with the use of two tools. The first, called a “decision tree,” helps users to better understand what “universal suffrage” means and to design their own proposal for how it should work by walking them through the most important questions facing Hong Kong in the reform process.

The decision tree, for example, asks: “Who should have the power to nominate chief executive candidates?” As users respond to these and other questions, they are encouraged to explain their answers. Users can submit their proposals directly to the Hong Kong government from the Design Democracy website.

In the first few weeks after the website’s launch, more than 210 proposals were submitted and the Design Democracy Facebook page (www.facebook.com/designdemocracyhk) generated more than 1,150 “likes.”

The website’s second tool is the “forum,” where users can comment on a range of topics related to the election, such as whether candidates should have to receive a certain share of the vote to win an election outright. The Design Democracy team has also interviewed members of the legislature, scholars, young activists, and even celebrities to get their views on the prospects for reaching universal suffrage in Hong Kong.

Recordings of the interviews have been uploaded to YouTube and embedded on the forum to allow users to view and discuss them. The 25 videos posted so far have received more than 1,000 views.

Before the public consultation period ends in May, CCPL will analyze the proposals and data from the website and submit recommendations to the Hong Kong government. Later this year the government will design a reform package in line with guidelines set by Beijing that must be approved by two-thirds of the Legislative Council. Once the package is passed by LegCo and signed off on by Beijing, the Hong Kong SAR government will have to put in place the new institutions and procedures needed to carry out the 2017 chief executive election¹.

NDI webpage on Designing Democracy in Hong Kong project

Reference

¹NDI. Designing Democracy in Hong Kong project. Published Jan. 29, 2014.

https://www.ndi.org/hong-kong-designing%20democracy

NDI Civic Update: Youth Programming. May 2012

Many people in Hong Kong are at a loss to explain why our youth have suddenly become so discontent with life and why so many young activists have suddenly emerged to express their discontent, often in violent ways.

The answer to this is simple, if somewhat uncomfortable – Hong Kong has been the target of a comprehensive program, funded by the US Government, with funds allocated by the US Congress to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which are being used by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) to implement that program.

Youth Programming

According to the NDI’s own publications, youth are a key component of NDI programs and programs targeting young people have been the sole subject of comment in three NDI Civic Updates/NDI Reports:

·         2004. Civic Update entitled: Young People, not the problem, part of the solution,

·         2007. NDI Report on Youth, Women, Technology.

·         2012. Civic Update on Youth Programming.

Extracts from 2012 NDI Civic Update: Youth Programming

Introduction

This issue focuses on involving young people in politics. Recognizing that they can play a critical role in building strong and vibrant democratic societies, NDI has long worked with youth in all forms of programming to empower them as mainstream political activists.

Channeling this growing population’s talents and energies as a force for positive change represents a major democratic development opportunity.

Young people can become a force that demands and defends democracy when they are given an

opportunity to organize themselves, voice their opinions and engage in political decision making.

NDI views the participation of young people (age 18-35) as fundamental to successful democratic transitions.

Young people are part of the solution and have a critical role to play in advancing democracy.

It is essential to help this large group develop and exercise democratic values, engage in constructive activism, promote greater government responsiveness, and become political leaders with a unique voice and goals.

NDI is currently working with young people in more than 20 countries and has carried out more than 120 such programs worldwide.

Why NDI works with Youth

There are a number of reasons that NDI works with young people:

·         Major challenges for youth participation are resistance to change by entrenched elite and older generations and the cultural expectations that youth do not hold power in society.

·         There can be a perception among some stakeholders that youth are not qualified or do not have the necessary skills, knowledge or expertise to participate.

·         Some entrenched leaders and authority figures may also fear the new ideas and interests that youth bring to their organizations, or to the governance system.

·         In many countries where NDI works, older, entrenched elites are resistant to democratic opening and reform.

·         In these settings, agents of change, such as youth, can be empowered and equipped with the tools to push for the change they would like to see.

·         Compared to their older counterparts, young people are frequently more enthusiastic and are more willing to take initiative and risk.

·         NDI’s focus group research has demonstrated that young, first-time voters are more open to voting for new parties, more willing to change political allegiances, more idealistic in their goals, and less loyal to established traditions.

Diversity Among Youth

·         NDI recognizes that there is sometimes the need and opportunity to partner with more marginalized young people that are not yet organized or aware of the possibility of political participation.

Empowering Emerging Leaders

In a case study on Armenia, NDI explains its approach to empowering emerging leaders as:

·         In many of the countries where NDI works, entrenched elite, powerful interests, and polarized political systems make change and reform a major challenge.

·         In these settings, youth, among others, want to play the roles of reformer and change agents.

·         In these cases, NDI tends to work with youth that are already active within political parties or organizations and have shown themselves to be committed to positive change.

·         NDI has focused on activities that empower ‘agents of change,’ including youth, to affect the policy agenda and become more involved in the political process. 

Civic Update cover

Why NDI works with Youth

Diversity Among Youth

Empowering Emerging Leaders

Reference

NDI Civic Update: Youth Programming. May 2012

Link to report: https://www.ndi.org/files/Civic_Update_May_2012.pdf

NDI Report: Youth, Women, Technology. Summer 2007

Many people in Hong Kong are at a loss to explain why our youth have suddenly become so discontent with life and why so many young activists have suddenly emerged to express their discontent, often in violent ways.

The answer to this is simple, if somewhat uncomfortable – Hong Kong has been the target of a comprehensive program, funded by the US Government, with funds allocated by the US Congress to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which are being used by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) to implement that program.

Youth Programming

According to the NDI’s own publications, youth are a key component of NDI programs and programs targeting young people have been the sole subject of comment in three NDI Civic Updates/NDI Reports:

·         2004. Civic Update entitled: Young People, not the problem, part of the solution,

·         2007. NDI Report on Youth, Women, Technology.

·         2012. Civic Update on Youth Programming.

Extracts from 2007 NDI Report: Youth, Women, Technology

The following extracts from lead article in the Summer 2007 NDI Report entitled: Youth, Women, Technology. Entitled: ‘Moving Young People to the Forefront of Political Participation’, the reasons for targeting youth include:

Reasons for targeting youth

·         Children and young adults will soon make up nearly 70 percent of the population in many developing countries. This so-called “youth bulge” represents a potentially positive force for change,

·         Young people are a fundamental part of the solution to the problems posed by weak democratic institutions and processes,

·         Efforts to promote the principles of good governance and activism among youth have contributed to democratic change in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and Africa,

·         Young people have contributed to public debates in their communities, promoted greater accountability in government, combated corruption, and entered the political arena with their own voice and goals,

·         Focus group research shows that young, first-time voters are more idealistic in their goals and less loyal to established traditions. Youth are more likely to take political risks and often have more time to dedicate to political causes than adults.

NDI Programs underway

·         Work with youth is central to more than two dozen NDI programs currently being implemented around the world,

·         Institute activities with young people are designed to mobilize their energy, passion, and interests, and help them engage actively and constructively in the political processes

·         of their respective societies.

·         By helping young people organize and become politically active, NDI hopes to address the challenges of alienation, apathy, violence, and ignorance that may threaten the stability of an emerging democracy,

·         NDI has worked with over 20,000 young party members around the world to build leadership skills.

·         Young civic activists have been instrumental in many election monitoring and advocacy campaigns conducted by NDI’s local partners, bringing enthusiasm and new perspectives on how to motivate citizens and interact with public officials,

·         NDI has supported more than 11,000 young people in parliamentary internship programs in 25 countries,

·         These programs typically place university students in committee staff positions and in members’ offices to conduct research or support constituency and media outreach activities.

Report cover

Reference

NDI Reports. A review of political development in new democracies: Youth, Women, Technology. Summer 2007. Link to report:
 https://www.ndi.org/files/2184_ndi_reports_summer07_082407_0.pdf

NDI Civic Update on Youth Programming. July 2004

Many people in Hong Kong are at a loss to explain why our youth have suddenly become so discontent with life and why so many young activists have suddenly emerged to express their discontent, often in violent ways.

The answer to this is simple, if somewhat uncomfortable – Hong Kong has been the target of a comprehensive program, funded by the US Government, with funds allocated by the US Congress to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which are being used by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) to implement that program.

Youth Programming

According to the NDI’s own publications, youth are a key component of NDI programs and programs targeting young people have been the sole subject of comment in three NDI Civic Updates/NDI Reports:

·         2004. Civic Update entitled: Young People, not the problem, part of the solution,

·         2007. NDI Report on Youth, Women, Technology.

·         2012. Civic Update on Youth Programming.

Note: Civic Updates are quarterly publications prepared by the NDI’s Civic Participation Team to keep NDI operatives up-to-date on the latest ideas, case studies and programs being implemented by the NDI. In many cases, both Civic Updates and NDI Reports are written as reference manuals for NDI field operatives.

Extracts from 2004 Civic Update: Young People, not the problem, part of the solution

The following extracts from the July 2004 Civic Update entitled - Young People, not the problem, part of the solution.

·         youth participation should be an essential consideration in the design and implementation of NDI programming … and … the involvement of young people is already an intrinsic component in many NDI programs,

·         in recent years, NDI has been involved in activities in more than 50 countries to increase the role of young people as civic activists, voters, candidates, political party representatives and elected leaders.

The types of NDI programs and activities with a youth participation focus or component currently underway include:

·         election monitoring,

·         issue advocacy,

·         leadership development,

·         youth parliaments,

·         party youth wings,

·         parliamentary internships,

·         debate clubs,

·         civic forums,

·         voter education,

·         GOTV (Get Out The Vote).

Case study of a Youth Parliament held in Indonesia

One case study in this Civic Update was on a Youth Parliament held in Indonesia, in an article entitled: Taking matters into their own hands: Indonesian students join model parliament.

The NDI rationale for holding this event was to:

·         combat the pervasive apathy and negative view of political participation among young Indonesians.

45 students from 20 different high schools took part in the event to school themselves in democracy … and … by taking part in the first-ever youth model parliament in the country, these students learned the basics of civic participation and legislative processes as they proposed, debated and passed legislation on issues of concern to the Indonesian youth.

During the event, students acted as members of parliament in a simulated legislature, taking part in debates and other activities. Students spent three days working to pass a budget and three laws, all of which were passed to the real DPR (National Indonesian Parliament) as inputs from youth.

Civic Update cover

Case study on Youth Parliament held in Indonesia

Reference

NDI Civic Update: Young People, not the problem, part of the solution. July 2004

Link: https://www.ndi.org/files/1730_citpart_civicupdate_070104_0.pdf