Personality 'the key' to winning insurance seat

The Insurance functional election is a contest for the least objectionable candidate, says one participant.

The 196 eligible voters - mostly general insurers and foreign companies - mean commercial competition and personal relationships will play a strong role.

Chan Yim-kwong, of National Mutual Insurance, Alex Wong Po-hang, of American International Assurance, and Steven Lau Hon-keung, of Union Insurance, have all been criticised because of their companies' enormous market shares.

Bernard Charnwut Chan, 33, is campaigning against his three elders - all in their 50s - by emphasising his vitality.

'The seat is not a reward for those who did most for the industry in the past, but a challenge for the one who wins it,' said Mr Chan, whose father, National People's Congress deputy Chan Yau-hing, owns Asia Insurance.

'And our medium-sized company provides no threat to electors' business.' He described the poll as a game of elimination: 'Only the least objectionable will be picked.' Rivals say Chan Yim-kwong's limitation lies in his affiliation to the Liberal Party. But the party veteran said he was the most capable of impressing the public: 'I'm a politician. I joined the legislature just to show how an insurance representative can do good to the overall development of Hong Kong.' Mr Wong and Mr Lau, former chairmen of the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers, said they would work for an environment favourable to the industry's development.