Two early birds, a stream of office assistants, highly charged political figures and slightly dazed construction workers set the nomination process for the territory's post-1997 lawmakers rolling yesterday.
Moments before the doors opened at the Preparatory Committee's plush Central offices at 9 am, two people braced themselves to be the first to get their hands on the nomination papers for the Selection Committee.
This was followed by a steady trickle of office assistants - and Joe Public.
Clad in rubber boots, construction worker Ng Wing-chun popped into the office during his lunch break.
'The grassroots have to work hard as this is the first time Hong Kong people can get into politics,' he remarked. He seemed bewildered by the news that he had to be nominated by an organisation or company.
Waving his forms, George Irving Chao, estate assistant at JLW Management, was more dogmatic. 'Now Hong Kong is returning to China, we have to admit what we've done wrong in the past.' First-comers Edmund Leung Kwong-ho and Barry Stubbings, respective member and president of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, were determined to get their feet in the door as promptly as possible. 'We're encouraging our members to participate because it's a very important issue for Hong Kong,' Mr Stubbings said.
