'Time to get their acts together'
The pan-democrats should 'get their acts together', think of new ways to capture voters' support and contemplate the advantages of unity, Anson Chan Fang On-sang told the South China Morning Post yesterday.
Mrs Chan, who had the backing of the pan-democratic camp in her Legco bid, also said grooming young political talent was a pressing need ahead of next year's full Legco poll.
She said whether her allies' joint efforts in her campaign led to a merger between the Civic Party and the Democrats was for them to decide.
'I will do what I can to bring the parties together,' Mrs Chan said. 'But this ... view about whether they want to unite or not has to come from the parties. No outsiders can do it.'
Since the Civic Party formed last year, some observers have said a merger with the Democratic Party could save the camp from internal rivalry. They believe Mrs Chan could be the leader to achieve that unity.
Mrs Chan said the pan-democrats' defeat in the district council elections highlighted problems faced by the camp - especially their lack of resources, which she said meant their district work was inferior to that of their pro-government rivals.
'When you don't have resources, there's a limit to what you can do, both in terms of research, in terms of formulating sound policies, also in terms of how you can rally the support of the electorate,' she said.
'Frankly, they themselves realised they have to get their acts together.'
The pan-democrats also should 'rethink their entire strategy' ahead of the Legco poll next year.
'They have to rethink where their strength lies and they have to rethink how they unite and make their presence felt,' Mrs Chan said. 'They have to think of new ways of capturing the support of the electorate.'
She agreed that it was not enough for pan-democrats to woo voters only by hoisting the flag of democracy, as people must be convinced that democracy would lead to good governance and resolve other social problems. Mrs Chan said she was still considering whether or not she would run next year and would not speculate on whether she would draw votes from incumbent pan-democrats if she did.
