Moderate pan-democrat Tik Chi-yuen and the tough path of the middle road

Veteran Democrat Tik Chi-yuen has always tried to be a unifier.

Widely regarded as a middle-of-the-road pan-democrat, Tik has kept a low profile in recent years, but found himself back in the media spotlight after he accepted former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa's invitation to be the only pan-democrat adviser in Tung's new think tank Our Hong Kong Foundation.

The think tank boasts 88 advisers, among them big names including mainland e-commerce giant Alibaba's Jack Ma Yun, former financial secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung and former Monetary Authority chief Joseph Yam Chi-kwong.

"Some say the foundation's just another VIP club; others say it's too pro-government. But I see it as a platform for people from different sectors and strata to exchange views," Tik says.

"If your points are good, you can try to persuade me to accept them. If I have better ideas, I'll try to convince you to consider them. You can view it as a talk shop, but that's how collective wisdom comes about - through frank discussion."

Tik does not mind being the only pan-democratic voice in the think tank.

"I'm the only voice, so I'll grab every opportunity to air my views," he says, adding that he hopes more of his fellow pan-democrats will play a part in the think tank's research.