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(March 28,
2008/ Hong Kong) One of the leading Democrats in Hong Kong,
Martin Lee, who has led the territory's long push for full
democracy under Chinese rule, has decided he will not run again
for legislative office, citing his age and a desire to make way
for new leaders.
"I'll be 70
in June, and obviously there's the desire to give new blood a
chance," Lee said on Friday.
Lee, who
first joined the Legislature in 1985, said he would step down as
a lawmaker at the end of his current term in July but would
remain a member of the Democratic Party.
"I always
say that no one is indispensable, so it's time after 23 years
now," said Lee, a senior barrister known for his gravelly voice
and barbed grilling of public officials in Hong Kong's historic
domed Legislative Council chamber.
A
founding member of the Democratic Party, Lee helped develop the
local political landscape by establishing the first real
opposition party in the territory.
Since
Hong Kong switched from British to Chinese rule in 1997, Lee and
the pro-democracy camp have been a thorn in Beijing's side,
demanding that its Communist rulers allow direct elections in
Hong Kong in line with promises in the city's mini-constitution.
Lee
dismissed suggestions that his departure would further weaken
the fractious pan-democracy camp at a critical time.
"This is
a continuous fight, it's going to be a long fight. The democrats
just have to work together and if you work together, whether I'm
there or not will not make that much difference.
"Of
course I'm not dropping out, there's still life in me and I'll
still fight for democracy. I just won't be inside the
Legislative Council," Lee added. |
