A group of Hong Kong district councilors is set to announce a new platform for cross-district collaboration, though a government minister said such a move might contravene the national security law.

The idea of a cross-district platform was first introduced in June during the first joint meeting of all but one of the 18 district councils. Councilors passed a motion in favor of the platform, saying that it would “engage the public in discussions on Hong Kong issues in order to reflect their true views and strive for the common well-being of Hongkongers.”

Organizer Raymond Li, a member of the Sha Tin District Council, said the platform aims to build cross-district consensus and would allow councilors to work together on strategies.

District councilors already hold informal joint meetings on a monthly basis, but those sessions are usually reserved for presenting updates instead of substantive collaboration, said Cheung Man-lung, vice chairperson of the Kwai Tsing District Council.

Last week, Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui said that a collaborative platform by district councilors may violate Hong Kong’s national security law. The platform would “openly challenge the bottom line of the central government,” Tsui told the Beijing-backed newspaper Ta Kung Pao.

Li said he would concentrate on doing what he believed to be right instead of spending time to “guess how far the regime wants us to retreat.” It was pointless to predict the machinations of the government, he said.

At least three people recently backed out of the platform after rumors spread that China’s top legislature might be looking to disqualify district councilors. Two politicians from the Democratic Party withdrew for personal reasons, while a member of the Civic Party said she had completed her role in the platform’s formation.

The platform recently had trouble gathering all its organizers for a meeting, one member told Apple Daily. The source declined to speculate on the reason, adding that the platform was voluntary in nature.

Aside from the three district councilors who left around Christmas, the platform did not receive notification from any others who wished to withdraw, the source said.

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play