The pan-dem dilemma: run and lose in chief executive contest or play a tactical game?

To run, or not to run: that is the question – for the pan-democratic camp.

To Beijing, that can also be a major consideration in adjusting its strategies regarding when to endorse its preferred candidate and how many from the pro-establishment camp should run for Hong Kong’s top job.

Yet it’s a matter that the pan democratic camp has failed to reach a consensus on so far, and it seems even more difficult to settle, given the chaotic start of the new Legislative Council’s term.

Looking back, the camp did participate in the previous two chief executive elections for one simple reason: to bring “competition” into what they criticised as a “small-circle” election. So four years ago, it was then Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan competing with former chief secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen and his arch rival Leung Chun-ying; while in 2007, it was Alan Leong Kah-kit from the Civic Party fighting a lost battle with Donald Tsang Yam-kuen who was seeking re-election.

This time, strangely, the camp seems to be in a dilemma over coming up with a logical and convincing excuse for not running.

Technically speaking, there should not be any difficulty for the camp to meet the threshold for putting forward one candidate with a minimum 200 nominations, since the pan-democrats have slightly more than 200 supporters within the current 1,200-member Election Committee that will pick Hong Kong’s next leader. The new line up of the committee to be formed later this year is expected to have even more pan-democratic figures.

But, first and foremost, where can they find the candidate?