The recent election campaign was a nasty business for an energetic supporter of Leung Chung-ying. Lew Mon-hung was smeared as a triad associate, called a 'negative asset', distanced by Leung, and had his family subjected to high stress. Even so, he says he remains loyal to Leung.
'I never regretted my choice to offer unswerving support to C.Y. [Leung] - although it has affected even my family members,' said Lew, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
While not an official member of Leung's campaign team, Lew called himself a key adviser, assistant and promoter through his newspaper columns. 'Since September, I had been using my nine weekly columns to support [Leung's] ideals and policies. I lined up support from some newspapers to back him ... I do not understand why some called me a negative asset.'
Lew's difficulties began with the now notorious February 10 dinner at a restaurant in Lau Fau Shan, which he attended along with Leung's campaign office director Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun and her deputies Karen Tang Shuk-tak and Lau Ping-cheung.
In the aftermath of the dinner, he became ensnared in the complicated web of accusations, counter-accusations, admissions and suspicions related to 'black gold politics' - collusion between triads and politicians.
The meal was planned as an ordinary meeting between Leung's campaign chiefs and Heung Yee Kuk leaders. But it turned into a major controversy when Kwok Wing-hung - a businessman known as 'Shanghai Boy' and thought to have triad links - appeared at the dinner.
The media and graft-busters later wanted to know if Leung was getting support from triads, and whether Kwok had been involved in triad threats against Leung's main election rival, Henry Tang Ying-yen. Also, who paid for the meal? The Leung camp could be liable to prosecution if they treated the rural leaders to a meal and canvassed during it.