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SCMP Reporter

It is 8.15am when campaign organiser Annie Fung walks into the office at the top of World Wide House in Pedder Street.

  Peter Woo Kwong-ching is already there, going through the morning's newspapers to assess the coverage of himself and the other contenders in the race for Chief Executive.

  Miss Fung, and her colleague Jeremy Lau Wai-ching, both former journalists, are his schedule managers and public relations advisers. Where necessary, they are his spin doctors.

  With other members of the team, they also analyse the media coverage, then sit down with Mr Woo and discuss what action to take.

  Mostly, they decide to do nothing. Occasionally, some action is required.

  The report in a number of papers that Mr Woo had been embarrassed at the Federation of Hong Kong Industries when a member said he would lose prompted a discussion with the Federation and, eventually, a statement.

  Sometimes Mr Woo's own performance prompts comment from the team.

  If there is a criticism, said Miss Fung, 'it is reflected to Mr Woo and we see what can be done.

  'Mr Woo is very open to suggestions.'   However, she admitted he did not always take them up.

  Both colleagues stressed Mr Woo was always 'calm' and very informal.

  The scene over at rival candidate Tung Chee-hwa's office is not dissimilar, according to Mr Tung's public relations adviser Elin Wong Wai-kuen.

  Stepping down as chairman of Orient Overseas International (OOCL) has not stopped the former Executive Councillor coming into the office at 7 or 8am.

  Ms Wong and her colleague Stanley Shen go through the media coverage with him, run his public relations operation and bring in independent public relations groups to organise press and media interviews.

  Not surprisingly, Miss Wong also stressed what a nice fellow her boss was and that he listened to advice, but took his own decisions on whether to follow it.

  Both teams insisted they did not coach their candidates in public speaking or in dealing with the media.

  Nor did they take charge of modulating their personalities and appearance for the television cameras.

  'We don't give him advice on his hairstyle,' said Miss Wong.

  The Tung and Woo teams are similar in other aspects as well. Both are largely seconded from the organisation from which their candidates have stepped down. Mr Tung's team come from OOCL, Mr Woo's from Wharf.

  However, their salaries and the office rentals are paid out of the candidates' considerable personal fortunes.

  Mr Tung's office is in the Harbour Centre, the same building as OOCL, while the Woo campaign is in office space rented from Wharf at an undisclosed rate.

  Mr Woo and Mr Tung are corporation men. Their teams are corporate players and, while the journalists they deal with are critical of the attitude of some of the individuals involved, their campaigns have a slick corporate flavour.

  Up at Sir Ti Liang Yang's official residence in The Peak's Gough Road, the contrast could not be greater.

  Partly it is because the outgoing Chief Justice's belongings are being packed for the impending visit of the removal men.

  But even if the man we are now supposed to call plain Mr Yang and the apparently still-titled Lady Yang were already installed in their new Parkview apartment, it would be hard to disguise the fact that this is not a businessman's campaign.

  First of all, it is being conducted at home, although that will change in November, when Sir Ti Liang takes on a $32,000 office for a month.

  Secondly, the campaign team consists only of the candidate and a young volunteer, Aster Lo Kam-chi, who normally works as an assistant to Mirror magazine publisher, Preparatory Committee member and Yang-promoter Xu Simin.

  'Mr' Yang said she will be joined by two more volunteers when he moves into his new office. But he does not expect to alter his campaign style much even then.

  'In the afternoon,' he said, 'I finish at about 4.30.'   As for Miss Lo, she works from his study in the mornings and while he is meeting the media at his home. In the afternoons, she sits in Mr Xu's offices as her candidate meets the great, the good and the occasional grassroots man to put his case and to listen to theirs.

  Image consultants have warned that media exposure might do big-spending candidates more harm than good.

  Already more than $200,000 has been poured into media sessions and banquets, although the four main hopefuls have very different styles.

   With less of a personal fortune to fall back on than his rivals, 'Mr' Yang,has won plaudits for his tight-budget campaign.

  One of his selling points has been his independent image. He has deliberately distanced himself from the business links many fear could compromise the independence of the post-handover government.

  Veteran public relations executive King Cheng said: 'Sir Ti Liang's approach compares sharply with other contenders. He does not host glamorous media sessions. What he sells is his sincerity in doing the job.

  'His performance in the live RTHK interview the other day was impressive.

  'He was not evasive and he replied to all sensitive questions properly,' the executive added.

  South China Morning Post columnist and political affairs observer Andy Ho On-tat echoed Mr Cheng's views.

   'Sir Ti Liang's approach suits his righteous image,' he observed.

  Mr Ho, who is a public relations consultant, said: 'That you do not want to spend much money in the campaign does not necessarily mean that you will have your hands tied.

  'Take meeting media for interviews; interviews are free of charge.'   There is no limit on the amount of money spent on running for the top post.

  Sir Ti Liang, who will announce his political blueprint tomorrow, and expects to spend about $6,000 on the launch and press conference, is ready to reveal his campaign spending as he goes along.

  'I haven't got a budget,' he said. 'The budget will be as much as I can afford.'   Mr Tung, however, estimates the campaign will cost him up to $1 million.

  And most of the budget will go towards research and surveys. He will consider disclosing his expenditures.

  The latest contender _ Simon Li Fook-sean, the former Appeal Court judge _ has no plan to disclose his expenditure.

  But it is estimated he spent $200,000 on his star-studded banquet to launch his policy platform at a Central hotel.

  Mr Ho said: 'I am puzzled by his tactic of inviting TV actors to the media function. It is totally irrelevant to the issue. It is a bad tactic and may degrade his image.'   Mr Li's campaign manager, meanwhile, has been alienating the media by not returning calls.

  While the general public will have no say in deciding who should take over the helm of the post-handover government, Mr Ho said the candidates' public relations efforts still counted.

  The views of the public were unlikely to be important for China in picking the winner, he added, but they would 'play a role in telling the Chinese leaders who they should rule out'.

  'Mr Lo Tak-shing's failure is a good example.' 



The business of winning friends