Sitting at his office in Central about seven and a half months ago, legislator James Tien Pei-chun was noticeably unsure about his re-election plan for September. The standard line was that he remained 'open-minded' to the possibility of standing for geographically based direct election.
Speaking again at the same office last week, Mr Tien appeared closer to taking a dip into the contest for directly elected seats in the New Territories East (NTE) constituency on September 12. This time, he said he was watching closely the results of opinion polls on the likely contenders before making a final decision by July 22, when the nomination period is due to begin.
'Even if it's not a sure-win case but there's a reasonable chance of success, I will go for [direct election],' he said.
Mr Tien, a tycoon and chairman of the Liberal Party, may seem undecided but signs abound that his debut in the geographical poll is only a matter of time with the election machinery geared up and strategy finessed.
In the past few months, pictures of Mr Tien featured prominently in a blitz of publicity on voter registration by the party at major stations along the Kowloon-Canton Railway. At weekends during the voter registration drive, he paraded through the New Territories, distributing pamphlets. On Mother's Day, he handed out flowers.
With the nomination period drawing nearer, the party has plastered stations along KCR and MTR lines with a fresh blitz of publicity targeted at the middle class. The campaign aims to position the party as one that's in touch with the needs of its constituency and able to offer realistic solutions to their problems rather than just criticise the government for not doing more.
One billboard features a blue sky with the question: 'Your children don't like learning English. What can you do? The answer is in sight. Summer 2004 is no longer the same.'