Opinion | Democrats must turn crisis into opportunity

How the pan-democratic camp in general, and the Democratic Party in particular, miss the strategic thinking power of the late Szeto Wah. The present bunch struggle to be worthy of his legacy. Surveying the present political scene, Uncle Wah would have seen clearly several important factors in play.

First, a number of tycoons have never accepted in their hearts the surprise outcome of the chief executive election. Henry Tang Ying-yen was their man. But to their evident distress and discomfort, Tang fell at the last hurdle and suddenly there, out of the blue, came the outsider Leung Chun-ying.

Some simply recoiled and tried to think through how to live with the new situation. But others have joined together in a well-resourced attempt to undermine the new chief executive, to bring him down and, if possible, hound him from office. Who would replace him? Too difficult to say; obviously not Tang, just someone equally malleable - leave the details to another day.

Szeto would have asked himself why this small circle, so inimical to the overall interests of the pan-democrats, was so determined to attack Leung, and how the situation could be turned to advantage.

Secondly, Szeto would have seen the saga of unauthorised building works for the distraction it clearly is. A handful of minor improvements to the chief executive's house, some introduced by the previous owner anyway, and typical of those in many Hong Kong households: what precisely is the big deal? Even added together, how could they possibly be equated with Tang's enormous underground palace?

Yet, instead of focusing on their welfare agenda - more subsidised housing, better care for the elderly, improved educational opportunities - members of the pan-democratic leadership have queued up in front of the TV cameras and microphones to shout "scandal" as if this were the biggest political event since the arrest of the Gang of Four.