ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the role that the political opportunity structure played in the mobilization process of the Aged Temporary Housing Areas protest. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks, it highlights three aspects of the political context: the formal political structure, the competition and the shifting balance of political power among the actors who are involved in the channels of articulation, and the social composition of these actors. The primary reason for establishing the Housing Authority is associated with the changing economic and political context in the early 1970s. In the early 1990s, competition within the social movement sector emerged because of two changes, namely, the separation of the political rights movement from urban movements, and the formation of political parties. The chapter identifies six possible articulation channels that housing movement activists can use for lobbying and mobilizing support, namely, the Legislative Councillors, the District Board members, the political parties, interest and pressure groups, the trade unionists and social workers.
