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Legislative Council elections 2016
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Tik Chi-yuen has come under fire over links with pro-establishment figures. Photo: Dickson Lee

Ex-Democrat accused of having links with Hong Kong establishment figures

Tik Chi-yuen of Third Side comes under fire at Kowloon West election forum; he accuses pan-democrat rivals of smearing him

Ex-Democrat Tik Chi-yuen, a candidate for a middle-of-the-road party, was confronted by his pan-democrat rivals in the latest Legislative Council election forum in Kowloon West on Monday after a hopeful on his slate was found to be from a government-friendly labour union.

It also emerged on Monday that volunteers and staff from Kowloon West New Dynamic – a conservative political alliance chaired by Beijing loyalist Priscilla Leung Mei-fun – helped Tik arrange a meet-the-public event in Sham Shui Po, sparking more questions about whether Tik’s group, the Third Side, was indeed moderate and supported democracy, as it claimed.

At the election forum organised by Commercial Radio, Tam Kwok-kiu of the Association for Democracy and People’s Livelihood questioned why Tik, who quit the Democratic Party to found the Third Side in January, would form a candidate list with Chen Lihong, a member of the government-friendly Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions.

Tam later told the Post that another pro-establishment group was also seen to be part of Tik’s electioneering team.

“Staff of Kowloon West New Dynamic helped Tik arrange an event in Sham Shui Po. This was witnessed by my own helpers,” Tam said. “Apparently Beijing’s liaison office hoped to help Tik – an invisible pro-establishment figure – win the last seat in Kowloon West.”

Tam lost the final seat in the constituency to Priscilla Leung by just 3,914 votes in 2012.

One extra seat has been allocated to Kowloon West this year – making a total of six. All eyes are on who will win the final seat.

Tik did not deny Tam’s revelation on Monday, saying it was his party’s approach to “make more friends”,

“We advocate a moderate approach and we welcome help across the political spectrum,” he told the Post.

Tik criticised Tam and other pan-democrats for staging a smear campaign against him to win the votes of all pan-democrat electors.

But Tam said it was the strategy of Beijing’s liaison office to support Tik. “He has a pan-democratic background and some voters might support him as they think he is a moderate pan-democrat,” he said. “That is a powerful weapon and will hugely affect the performance of us and also the Democratic Party.”

A total of 15 lists are running in Kowloon West. For the full list of candidates, visit http://multimedia.scmp.com/legcocandidates/
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Former Democratunder fireover links
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