Hopefuls flock to testing ground for first taste of poll battlefield

The fast-developing district of Sai Kung has been a magnet for district council hopefuls, with a number putting their electoral appeal to the test for the first time.

Neither the Democrats nor the rival Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong dare claim an edge on the battlefield - a mix of villages and newly urbanised areas.

Among those taking advantage of the rapid growth is Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood (ADPL) member Daniel Wong Kwok-tung, who abandoned his stronghold in Yau Tsim Mong this summer to take on independent Wan Yuet-cheung in Tung Ming, Tseung Kwan O.

But the solicitor said his support was far too slim for the Legco polls next year and admitted he was looking much further down the road.

'The ADPL should be scaled down to a pressure group if it can't extend itself from its power base in Shamshuipo. From a strategic point of view, we've got to expand,' he said.

Despite support from independent legislator Andrew Wong Wang-fat, Mr Wong said he only had a 30 per cent chance of defeating Mr Wan, whose elder brother, Wan Yuet-kau, is a DAB heavyweight seeking re-election in Sai Kung.

'If I fail this time, what's the point of staying in politics. I might as well pull out for good,' Mr Wong said.