James Tien resigns as party head

JAMES TIEN PEI-CHUN (田北俊) was kicked out of China’s top political advisory body for urging Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying (梁振英) to consider resigning. Hours later, Tien resigned as Liberal Party (自由黨) leader.

Signalling an end to his political career, Tien said in Hong Kong last Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in the 2016 Legislative Council (立法會) election.

But Tien remained defiant and said he would not retract his words urging Leung to think about quitting. He also suggested Leung should go to the Admiralty (金鐘) protest zone. “He may gain support and ease the atmosphere,” said Tien.

Earlier in the day in Beijing (北京), 267 members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, 中國人民政治協商會議, 全國政協) Standing Committee (常務委員會) voted to strip Tien of his membership of the CPPCC National Committee, with only two against and three abstaining.

CPPCC chairman Yu Zhengsheng (俞正聲) told the meeting that it was the first time someone had lost membership based on Article 29 of its charter, which stipulates that members can be expelled if their acts are in violation of a conference resolution.

In March this year, the CPPCC passed a resolution in support of the SAR government and Leung to govern Hong Kong based on the rule of law.

(The Standard, 30 October 2014)