In 2004 the National Democratic Institute (NDI) collaborated with the Centre for Comparative and Public Law (CCPL) to sponsor the first of a series of events in the NDI’s Developing Political Parties program.
Hong Kong Political Reform Series
This was expanded in 2009, when the NDI partnered with the CCPL to launch the Hong Kong Political Reform Series, a conference series that promotes dialogue on political reform among different sectors of the Hong Kong community, including citizens, politicians, academics, and think-tanks. Source: http://designdemocracy.hk/about-us/?lang=en
The following conferences/seminars were held in this series:
- Breaking the Deadlock. October 2009,
- Will it Break the Deadlock? January 2010,
- Deadlock Broken – What Next? November 2010,
- New Voices on Hong Kong Political Reform. February 2011,
- What is Happening to Our Political System? April 2012.
In terms of this partnership, the NDI got access to the name, brand and reputation of HKU to legitimize and expand their programs, whilst Professor Johannes CHAN continued in his role of powerbroker in Hong Kong politics.
Some of the ‘guests’ at these events were also prominent journalists and political commentators, which allowed the NDI to control the narrative by subverting the press in Hong Kong.
