The pan-democrats may be digging a hole for themselves by demanding that the government allow political advertising. In August, three months after Commercial Radio accepted sponsorship from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and sold a time slot to lawmaker Emily Lau Wai-hing, causing a public outcry, the Broadcasting Authority fined the station for breaching regulations.
At the heart of the issue is whether the government should open up the airwaves to allow political advertisements. The pan-democrats argue that, because the administration had previously used various electronic media channels to advertise its 'Act Now' campaign on political reform, it would be hypocritical to ban others from advertising.
On Thursday, the pan-democrats again raised the issue at a Legislative Council panel meeting on information technology and broadcasting, pressing the government to change the regulations to permit political advertising in the electronic media.
As an investor in the electronic media industry, I agree with the proposal purely from an economic point of view, because it would open up another source of income, especially during election time. But, if we had to balance various political pros and cons, it would not be such a great idea.
The pan-democrats no doubt hope that the move would allow them a bigger voice in the public arena to promote democracy and raise their profile and popularity. But, in reality, public reaction is unpredictable and irrational; the change may hamper rather than help the development of democracy in Hong Kong.
The pan-democrats seem to believe that a relaxation of the rules would help them rally support during politically sensitive times, such as the June 4 anniversary and the July 1 rally. They are wrong.
Any matter can be packaged into a public or political issue, regardless of the date, as long as there is mileage to be gained. Selling a political idea is not as easy as promoting a sports event such as the World Cup. There are many unforeseeable factors.