The political parties in Hong Kong are merely interest groups in nature.

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The political parties in Hong Kong are merely interest groups in nature.

1.0 Introduction

Political parties are perceived as simply interest groups. The term political party can be defined as a group of persons that share the same ideas and interests thus come together to attain and exercise political power. The origin of political parties can be traced back to the 19^th century, ever since the word party has been used to refer to organized groups that seek to acquire political power, whether democratically or by revolution. According to Sides et al. (2011), an interest group is an organized voluntary association that works towards publicly promoting and creating advantages that influence policymakers. A vast array of diverse organizations such as trade associations, civil rights groups and so on can be characterized as interest groups.

After extensive research, I believe that both political parties and interest groups serve an important purpose in the political arena in Hong Kong. I agree with the sentiments presented by Sides et al. (2011) who affirms that both political parties and interest groups are formed with individuals working to achieve certain goals in government. Both groups work together to promote politicians by raising money to help them accomplish certain goals by influencing policymakers. The method of achieving goals and objectives between political parties and interest groups involves raising money for creating awareness and having their preferred candidates elected. For that reason, I believe that the main political parties in Hong Kong can be considered as interest groups.

2.0 Four main political parties in Hong Kong

2.1 Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB)

DAB was founded in 1992, with a common vision of enabling the establishment of a stable, prosperous, and progressive society. Under the current leadership of Starry Lee, the party is dedicated to championing for the interests of the Hong Kong people with the aim of building a better community (Chung, 2006). As the largest party in Hong Kong, the party comprises of various factions that include unionists, workers, rural leaders, and people in the business. The party remains loyal to Beijing and supports the reality of having one country governed with two different systems.

2.2 The Liberal Party

The Liberal Party is currently under the leadership of Chung Felix. It was established in 1993 as a conservative, pro-business and pro-Beijing political party. APCO Asia (2006) asserts that the party was formed by tycoons and people in business from different business sectors in Hong Kong. The party is defined by its liberal ideas considering it values individual freedom and free enterprise by expounding on the available liberal, conservative economic policies by opposing antitrust legislation, collective bargain, and so on. The Liberal Party offers support towards certain things such as upholding the interests of small and medium enterprises, economic freedom, low taxes, and limited government.

2.3 The Civic Party

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