SPOTTED WALKING together in the Dorset House mall where Pacific Century CyberWorks has its Quarry Bay headquarters on Tuesday were Police Commissioner Tsang Yam-pui and Hong Kong's very own telecommunications guru Richard Li Tzar-kai. Presumably the police chief wasn't there to complain about the size of his phone bill. So whatever could they have been talking about? Couldn't have had anything to do with telephone tapping and the Privacy Ordinance, by any chance?
Notice how often the subject of the 'election' of the Chief Executive is cropping up in newspaper columns these days?
The prospect of a second term for Tung Chee-hwa can be taken for granted. The only question left to debate is whether it will be a walkover, or whether any other contenders will come forward to challenge him. Former legislator Christine Loh kung-wai's name has been mooted as an obvious person to throw her hat in the ring. As the one who produces an alternative Policy Address each October, she clearly has lots of ideas on how the SAR should be run.
More importantly, she is of the school which believes it is imperative that opposition candidates come forward, if only to ensure that Mr Tung comes to the debating table and lays out some firm policy pledges for his second term. Ask her if she would like to enter the race and she shakes her head vigorously. She's far too busy in the Civic Exchange think-tank these days, she says.
But it seems several possible nominees have been discussing the prospect. Apparently they sit around saying: 'You should do it.' 'No - you'd be better.' Doesn't augur too well for decisive leadership, does it?
Despite an operation earlier this year to remove cataracts, Tsang Yok-sing is still having trouble with his eyesight. The leader of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong's left eye has only recovered 20 per cent vision. It seems to improve after he has finished work and had a rest in the evening, but he reports that it deteriorates again by the following morning.
That hasn't stopped him working as busily as ever at burnishing the party's image. Top of the agenda has been finding ways to improve relations with the media. With that in mind, he hosted the party's first 'tea party' with political hacks.