BARRISTER AUDREY EU Yuet-mee's decisive victory in the Hong Kong Island by-election has exceeded the expectations of even her staunchest followers. It was the first time that the bickering democratic factions had managed to brush aside their differences to rally behind a single candidate. Yet, her success might just turn out to be a curse in disguise in the long run for the activists' flagship, the Democratic Party.
After her pledge of allegiance tomorrow, Ms Eu will be embraced as a valuable ally by the other 19 councillors labelled as the democratic camp in the Legislative Council. They are expected to join forces on a range of democracy and human-rights issues, even though this is unlikely to make much difference to the outcome of votes in the 60-seat chamber.
Ms Eu's triumph, however, has raised some serious questions about the political parties' strategy for their long-term survival. The Democratic Party, the Confederation of Trade Unions and the Frontier were heavily involved in her electioneering efforts. The Democrats had to suppress internal demands to field a less prominent candidate from within their own ranks in order to give a clear run to this unaffiliated newcomer.
Despite her reputation and liberal inclinations, Ms Eu is an outsider to the Democrats. The party's chairman, Martin Lee Chu-ming, was said to be instrumental in clearing the path for Ms Eu to stand. The party opted to back Ms Eu rather than Central and Western District councillor Kam Nai-wai, who was listed as the third choice on its five-candidate ticket for the Legco polls in the constituency in September.
The party's decision dealt a severe blow to the Democrats' budding politicians. Given the limited number of political opportunities, ambitious members have become increasingly impatient. Some of them have been nursing their respective constituencies for more than a decade, but have yet to be given a real chance to carry the party's flag in the geographical polls. They are eager to seize every opportunity that comes their way before the next Legco polls in 2004.
Like Mr Lee, Ms Eu is a former chairperson of the Bar Association. Unlike him however, she treasures her status as an independent. Despite the support she has received from the Democrats and other political parties, Ms Eu has made clear her intention to remain unaffiliated.