In Hong Kong’s chief executive race, potential backers wait for Beijing’s nod
Pro-establishment figures remember embarrassment of 2012 and hold tongues for now, as pan-democrats also wait and see
“I don’t think the pro-establishment figures would openly endorse any aspirants at the early stage this time,” said lawmaker Dr Priscilla Leung Mei-fun of the Beijing-friendly Business and Professionals Alliance.
“What happened five years ago was too embarrassing.”
“We want someone who is familiar with finance and economics to be our next leader,” said a pro-establishment businessman who preferred not to be named. “But it seems to be a bad idea to publicly support Tsang after so many sources from the central government suggesting he is a no-go.”
Veteran lawmaker Wong Kwok-kin, of the Beijing-friendly Federation of Trade Unions, said his group would definitely not hand their nominations to Lam “automatically” even though the messages he had received from Beijing were clear that the outgoing chief secretary was the favoured candidate.
“We still need to meet and exchange views with all aspirants on different policies before deciding whom to nominate,” Wong said.
The pro-establishment bloc was not the only one awaiting Beijing’s clear signal. Pan-democrats also appeared to be assessing how to maximise the impact of the 326 votes they earned in the 1,194-member election committee that will pick the city’s next leader.
“Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung, who had opposed any “small-circle election”, shocked many by declaring he might consider running for the top job in an apparent bid to stop his allies being “kingmakers”.
The pro-democracy bloc sent Civic Party’s Alan Leong Kah-kit and Democrat Albert Ho Chun-yan to run for the top job in 2007 and 2012 respectively to force other candidates to answer questions on the city’s democratic progress at election forums.
But this year some hoped they could vote strategically to block another hardliner from winning the city’s top job. Lawmaker Charles Mok, representing the information technology sector, said his camp might only decide on its next move – especially on whether to field anyone – when all other players had shown their hand.
“But many voters we approached so far still hope to make an impact with their votes,” he added.
Ip, a New People’s Party legislator, had caused a stir when she promised to revive the legislation of the national security bill if she were elected.
Accountancy sector lawmaker Kenneth Leung, Mok’s colleague in the Professionals Guild, said their approach was to make the election more competitive so Hongkongers could pick “a more acceptable” leader via the committee.
“I understand that not everyone in the camp would like to nominate [pro-establishment] candidates, and I respect that,” he said. “But I hope we could all use our votes flexibly to achieve the goal and make a difference.”