C.Y.'s aide figures out how to help election bid
A former aide of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is back in the political arena, but this time as a voluntary adviser to a pan-democrat candidate for the accounting sector in the Legislative Council election.
Scott Cheng Hei-huen, formerly a senior media relations manager in Leung's electoral campaign office, said he was helping Kenneth Leung Kai-cheong 'only as a friend, not as a client or a pan-democratic candidate'. 'I am not in his campaign team,' he said.
Kenneth Leung's major rival for the Legco seat is expected to include Nelson Lam Chi-yuen, who nominated C. Y. Leung in the chief executive race. Lam is yet to make a final decision on whether to run.
Kenneth Leung admitted he was receiving advice from Cheng. 'I have known him for about five years, because his office is in the same building as mine,' he said.
Four years ago, five candidates contested the accounting sector seat when Paul Chan Mo-po won it with 5,659 votes, or 42 per cent of the ballot, beating pan-democrat Mandy Tam Heung-man, the accountant-lawmaker from 2004 to 2008, by an 11 per cent margin.
Chan, who is tipped to join the government as either the deputy financial secretary or development minister, will not run for another term, leaving the 25,168 accountants in the functional constituency to vote on his successor.
Meanwhile, consumer crusader Pong Yat-ming announced yesterday he would run for a Legco seat in the New Territories East constituency.
The 39-year-old teacher and event organiser started snubbing businesses owned by billionaires and conglomerates in October 2010, swapping fast food for cha chaan teng suppers and buying groceries at family-owned local stores rather than supermarket chains, while using his bicycle to get around. He said he hoped to bring social changes to Hong Kong as a lawmaker.
Already registered to contest New Territories East are lists headed by the Labour Party's Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung; Liberal Party honorary chairman James Tien Pei-chun; People Power's Raymond Chan Chi-chuen; Democratic party pair Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong and Wong Sing-chi; and the NeoDemocrats' Gary Fan Kwok-wai.
In the Kowloon East constituency, People Power activist Wong Yeung-tat also announced his bid yesterday. His major rivals are expected to include the League of Social Democrats' Andrew To Kwan-hang.
