Leung goes from zero to people's hero in the polls
Just a few months ago Leung Chun-ying was the least popular of the contenders for chief executive. Now another opinion poll rates him the one the public most trusts to protect Hong Kong's interests.
Too bad for Leung that it's a committee of 1,600, not the people, who'll elect the city's new leader.
The poll, carried out by the Democratic Party, shows a remarkable turnaround in support for Leung, the convenor of the Executive Council, at a time when his main rival, Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, has drawn fire for a remark about how police handled Vice-Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Hong Kong.
The Democratic Party poll showed Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai still had the most support of the three people widely tipped to contest the election. But Leung is catching up fast.
About 28 per cent of the 586 respondents believed Leung would be the most courageous in protecting Hong Kong's interests and would be prepared to say 'No' to Beijing when it mattered. Fan scored 22.2 per cent in this regard, while Tang got 21.2 per cent. However, 28.7 per cent believed none of the three candidates would dare challenge Beijing.
The findings are consistent with recent similar surveys by other groups. When compared with polls taken a few months ago, the results show progress for Leung.
Leung got only 8.2 per cent of support in a survey commissioned by the South China Morning Post in June. He was lagging far behind Fan and Tang. Even Leung at the time admitted that he needed to go out and win the public's support. Chinese University political analyst Ma Ngok said the fluctuations in the polls were a reflection of the trio's words and deeds.
'When more and more think Tang is not capable, they start to think about the alternatives,' Ma said.
Last month, Tang drew criticism for rejecting as 'completely rubbish' journalists' claim that arrangements for Li's visit constituted an attack on press freedom.
People have been suspicious of Leung's relationship with Beijing since before the handover. Ma said: 'For Leung, his burden was once his low popularity. This burden is now getting insignificant. On the other hand, popularity might emerge to be a problem for Tang - his rating dropped from a high point.'
Ma also said that the business sector, a group Beijing would consider when selecting Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's successor, could switch allegiance given the shifting political tides. Fan is widely seen as weak on economic policy.
