Local politics have dominated the headlines this year, with the Legislative Council playing a central part in public life. But despite lawmakers' high profile, many remain barely recognisable to the public at large, according to a straw poll by the South China Morning Post.
With electioneering for next month's Legco polls under way, we interviewed and showed photographs to 150 people on the streets last week and found that on average, they were unable to name half of the 60 lawmakers who recently completed their four-year terms. A vast majority of respondents struggled to identify photographs featuring some of Hong Kong's functional-constituency representatives.
The most recognisable face was New People's Party chairwoman and former security minister Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, with 145 respondents being able to name her. She was followed by League of Social Democrats' chairman 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung, who was named by 141 people; and Legislative Council president Tsang Yok-sing, named by 140.
At the other end of the scale, import-and-export functional-constituency lawmaker Wong Ting-kwong topped the list of the most unfamiliar faces, with just five people being able to name him. Only 10 could give the name of information technology lawmaker Samson Tam Wai-ho, while industrial (first) lawmaker Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen and insurance lawmaker Chan Kin-por were recognised by 11 people.
All four are seeking re-election in September, with three of them - Wong, Leung and Chan - set to be returned uncontested.
Chan said the need for publicity was not as great for functional-constituency lawmakers, compared with those in the geographical constituencies running in direct elections.
'We're serving different segments of the electorate, and I've been elected automatically anyway,' he said, adding that he was a 'down-to-earth' lawmaker who neither yelled nor held up placards on the streets to attract public attention.