League may drop idea of shadow poll candidates
A row between the Civic Party and the League of Social Democrats over the latter's plan to field rivals to its own candidates in May's Legco by-elections appears to be dying down.
Ahead of a meeting to discuss strategy last night, league chairman Andrew To Kwan-hang said that since non-pan-democrat candidates had now apparently surfaced in all five geographical constituencies, the two groups might not face the prospect of uncontested polls and so there might be no need to field rival candidates from their own camp.
'Regarding the 'Team B' plan, there might not be such a need now,' To said.
Kenneth Chan Ka-lok, secretary general of the Civic Party, said he believed the league had already stopped pushing for the Team B plan because it would dampen people's desire to vote in the by-elections.
The by-elections were triggered by the resignations in January of five lawmakers - two from the Civic Party and all three of the league's legislators. They see the exercise as a de facto referendum on the pace and scope of democratisation.
Wong Yuk-man, one of the league lawmakers who resigned, said the referendum goal could not be achieved if there was no contest.
'We still have to wait and see whether people will really run in the by-elections. We cannot rule out still fielding Team B candidates,' he said.
At a rally yesterday to publicise the groups' goal of seeing Legco's functional constituencies abolished, former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang dismissed Beijing's argument that the exercise is a breach of the Basic Law. In January the central government issued statements saying any 'so-called referendums' would be a blatant challenge to its authority and to the Basic Law.
Following the strongly worded statements, Beijing-loyalist parties decided to boycott the by-elections. That led to fears among the pan-democrat groups that the polls would be uncontested.
However, in recent weeks, several figures have either indicated their desire to run or been tipped to stand.
They are former agony aunt Pamela Pak Wan-kam, tipped to run against Wong in Kowloon West; television cooking show host Maria Cordero, tipped to take on 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung in New Territories East; Lee Wing-kin, who would fight the Civic Party's Tanya Chan in the Hong Kong Island constituency; solicitor Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, who would take on the league's Albert Chan Wai-yip in New Territories West; and Diocesan Boys' School principal Terence Cheung Cheuk-cheung, tipped to take on Alan Leong Kah-kit in Kowloon East.
