Ex-candidate pins hope on youth
A possible contender for September's Legislative Council election says voters will prefer politically moderate, younger candidates who might help bring new thoughts to the legislature.
Ronald Kung Yiu-fai, who contested the accountancy functional constituency four years ago as Elve (alias Ronald) Kung Yiu-fai, said the public had high expectations for this year's Legco election.
'People are getting tired of the legislature, which is obviously divided into two camps,' he said. 'I think they prefer some young, open-minded and politically moderate candidates, who are close to the minds of Hongkongers.'
Mr Kung, 38, came third in the last election with 1,815 votes, after incumbent Mandy Tam Heung-man of the Civic Party (3,393) and Beijing-friendly candidate Paul Chan Mo-po (3,356). He is seriously considering another run this year.
Mr Kung says he is centre-right, but was supported by former accountancy sector legislator Eric Li Ka-cheung, who was seen as Beijing-friendly. 'For a politically moderate candidate you need support from all sides,' he said.
Mr Kung is a member of the politically unaffiliated 30s Group, which brings young professionals together to voice opinions on a wide range of social issues.
He said more than half of the voters in the sector were aged below 40, which might favour him because young voters were his major source of support in the last election.
Mr Chan said he was seriously considering whether to run again. The former president of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants, who was 49 when he contested the last election, agreed that most voters in the sector were young but did not see that as an obstacle.
'Many accountants aged over 35 are more sophisticated, they will think more and not simply prefer young candidates,' he said.
Ms Tam, two years younger than Mr Chan, is expected to seek re-election in September.
