Leung Chun-ying faces uphill task building trust with pan-democrats

When the Legislative Council convenes on October 10, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, besides finding a more fragmented legislature, is also likely to face an uphill challenge - to regain the trust of the pan-democratic camp and rebuild their working relationship.

Pan-democrats say their relationship with the administration was already damaged in July when Leung's administration tried to push controversial restrictions on by-elections and a government restructuring proposal through the previous Legco despite their opposition and filibustering.

They warned then that if Leung did not take a more conciliatory approach towards the camp, even moderate legislators might be forced to resort to radical means.

Pan-democrats won 27 of the 70 seats. Although the legislature has 10 more seats than the last one, the proportion of pan-democrats is roughly the same as previously. And there are no signs of a honeymoon period in the relationship between the executive and legislative branches of government.

Their hostility was apparent a week after the September 9 ballot, when most of the pan-democratic parties boycotted a lunch hosted by Leung at the government offices, one of his first attempts to reach out to the new legislature.

Only three pan-democrats attended - the newly elected Charles Mok of the information technology sector, Dr Joseph Lee Kok-long of health services and Frederick Fung Kin-kee from the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood.