Albert Ho exits, urging his party to face future
Veteran Democrat loses seat, saying party 'should give up old thinking'
In 2011, he was facing a challenge from the pro-establishment camp through Shum Kam-tim, and from radical pan-democrats through People Power lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip, but he managed to secure his seat.
This time, a margin of more than 200 votes forced him to pass the seat he had held on Tuen Mun district council since 1999 to former Law Society president Junius Ho Kwan-yiu after Cheng Chung-tai of Civic Passion snatched 391 votes from the pro-democracy voter base.
He admitted failure and suggested the party must cope with the changing environment, noting many young colleagues had won but heavyweights like him had lost.
"The Democratic Party should give up the old thinking of sending famous people into the race," Ho, a veteran lawmaker and former party chairman, said. "The party should consider nominating more young people in the future."
The 63-year-old lawmaker had planned for a younger member of the party to take over his seat, but the emergence of a strong rival in Junius Ho scared candidates away, and the veteran eventually stood again.
Ho failed to secure the vacancy in a by-election.
In his memoir published in 2010, Ho said he realised he did not know much about Tuen Mun and Yuen Long ahead of that election.
He was then determined to build connections with Tuen Mun, regarded as a very remote area back then, including renting the office and employing the staff left behind by Ng with his own money, and spending at least two nights meeting with residents per week, a habit he had maintained until now.
He eventually won a seat in the Regional Council and Legislative Council in 1995, and since 1999 served on the district council of Lok Tsui constituency.
"They have to face voters and criticisms, answer queries with wisdom and be well-informed," he said. "And they know they have to be humble as after all they have to serve the people whom they get power from."
Ho said he planned to spend more time working on the Hong Kong Coalition for Preserving the History of World War II in Asia, which he set up. He hoped to seek redress for victims of Japanese aggression in China, including women forced to be sex slaves.
A practising solicitor, he also planned to spend more time on the China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, provides financial support and training for mainland lawyers.
