Democrats have plan for 'super seats'
Democrat lawmaker James To Kun-sun may seek to return to a district council, as part of his party's strategy for next year's fight for five newly created district-council-sector seats on the Legislative Council.
The party plans to field 125 candidates in November's district council polls, including five serving legislators, the Democrats' election committee chairman Dr Yeung Sum said yesterday.
Four legislators - party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan, Lee Wing-tat, Kam Nai-wai and Wong Sing-chi - will seek re-election as district councillors but To, who did not seek re-election in his Yau Tsim Mong seat in 2007, said he had yet to decide whether to stand this year.
To said party colleagues at the leadership and district levels had been intensely lobbying him to stand for a district council seat.
'Since we don't have many district councillors in Kowloon West, some brothers and sisters in the party suggested it would be better to have a leading figure running,' he said.
To was a district councillor in Sham Shui Po from 1991 to 1994, and was twice elected in Yau Tsim Mong, in 1999 and 2003.
Elected district councillors will nominate candidates from among themselves for the five new functional constituency seats, dubbed 'super district-council sector seats', that were created by the passage of the government's constitutional reform proposal last year.
Because candidates will be elected by more than 3 million registered voters, candidates who are well-known across Hong Kong, such as legislators, are considered to have an advantage over other district councillors.
Yeung said his party had not yet decided who to field for the 'super seats', but they would choose a contender among the five lawmakers.
'Even standing in district elections, candidates targeting the so-called super seats can't just talk about transport or columbariums in the neighbourhood in their platforms. They must lay out platforms on territory-wide issues,' Yeung said.
Party vice-chairman Sin Chung-kai, meanwhile, said he was 'actively considering' running for a seat on the Wan Chai District Council.
The party's slogan in the district elections will be ''One person two votes' makes a difference' because the passage of the reform package means each voter will have two votes, one in a geographical constituency and one in a functional constituency, in next year's Legco election.
Some young Democrats would challenge prominent Beijing-loyalists in the district ballots, Yeung said, declining to name their targets.
At present, the Democratic Party has 50 district councillors. Forty-five of them plan to seek re-election. Giving a prudent assessment, Yeung said it would strive to maintain the number of seats at more than 40.
The party has laid out a younger and more educated team for this year's election. Some 46 per cent of its candidates are aged below 40 compared to 36 per cent in the 2007 ballots, while 78 per cent have received tertiary education, up from the 70 per cent in the previous poll.
A year after the constitutional reform vote, Democrats said that far from getting closer to the government, the relationship had soured.
'The government wants to get a tighter grip on all bills committees - including those on non-political, livelihood issues - and have their allies chair the committees,' To said. 'Officials even called me to ensure their favourites can get the seats. I find this annoying.'
A total of 412 seats will be up for competition in the 18 districts.
Heavyweight Beijing loyalist Chan Yuen-han, a vice-president of the Federation of Trade Unions, and Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong vice-chairwoman Starry Lee Wai-king are hotly tipped as candidates for the super seats.
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee said her New People's Party would field about 10 candidates.
