The coalition was formed in response to the Group of 89 which advocated a more conservative approach to the constitutional reform.
The group is considered as broadly liberal and wished to ensure stability and prosperity and high degree of autonomy by making greater changes to the political system, including the extension of full "one person one vote" democracy.
[2] Having few members in the Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee (BLCC) and Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee (BLDC), the Group put forward the "Liberal model" of the political system for the future government in 1997.
was affected by the Tiananmen protests of 1989, and Szeto Wah and Martin Lee, representatives of the liberal movement in the BLDC, were expelled from the committee.
However its comparative success in the local elections was diluted by the government's appointment of the balance of the District Board membership.