A former vice-chairman of the Democratic Party says he thinks it is good that the party held talks with the central government - believing this is only the beginning and that Beijing will also engage with moderate "pan-democrats".

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Tik Chi-yuen said the meeting between Feng Wei, deputy director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, and Democratic Party representatives in Hong Kong on Wednesday represented a political reality.

At the later stage of the constitutional reform, he said, some "pan-democrats" had wanted to support the reform package. However, they were pressured not to by the radical branch of the opposition camp.

"Beijing shows goodwill in sending an official to meet Democratic Party members, but this is also political reality," he said.

Since the 20-strong "pan-democratic" lawmakers represent half of Hong Kong's voters, the relationship between the central government and "pan-democratic" camp should not remain under strain.

It would be a test for the Democratic Party, he added. Tik hopes they will not be afraid of communication with the central government even if they are attacked by radical opposition members.

Tik, alongside health services constituency lawmaker Joseph Lee Kok-long and Ronny Tong Ka-wah - who has given up his legislator post and quit the Civic Party - are the only three opposition members invited to watch the military parade in Beijing next week marking the 70th anniversary of victory in the war against Japanese aggression.

"We three are the mildest of the moderate 'democrats' without political party background," he said, smiling. "I think Beijing has differentiated the moderate 'democrats' as friends from the radical ones. It used the (invitation to the military parade) as the starting point, and then came the meeting with the Democratic Party."

Tik is about to part with the Democratic Party after good friend and fellow founding member Wong Sing-chi was expelled from the party because he conditionally supported the reform package. They will form a new political party in the hope of finding a third path and gaining the support of people occupying the middle ground.

"I think there is market for a third path to have healthy interaction with Beijing, because many people think the pro-establishment camp has no freewill while the 'pan-democrats' are too radical," he remarked.

"For example, the NPCSC (National People's Congress Standing Committee) ruling on the constitutional reform has a legal standing. It was unrealistic to change it through protests and confrontations. It had to be dealt with in a rational manner."

As chairman of a parent-teacher association, Tik supported teaching national education. But he was relentlessly criticized for this by then party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan.

"He was under political pressure ahead of the 2012 Legislative Council election to criticize me. He asked me to leave the party," Tik recalled.

"It was a conspiracy theory to defame national education as brainwashing - because there is no syllabus and teachers won't wash brains. In the absence of national education, students have no chance of learning more about the motherland."

joseph@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 08/29/2015 page6)