New leader Lee Wing-tat also vows to improve ties with mainland leaders
Newly elected Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing-tat yesterday pledged to revamp the party to 'bring the Democrats back into [the] community'.
He also praised President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao for their liberal-minded policies and 'people-first' approach, and vowed to improve relations with the central government during his two-year term.
At his first informal media gathering since being elected on Sunday to succeed Yeung Sum, Mr Lee said he would introduce wide-ranging reforms to rebuild the party's popularity.
Dr Yeung stepped down to assume responsibility for the Democrats' poor showing in the September Legco election.
Mr Lee said one of his main tasks was to convince party legislators to shift their focus from Legislative Council business to district affairs and networking, in order to win greater community support for their political goals.
'For us to improve, we must revamp the way we do things. In the past, we spent 90 per cent of our time in Central. The first thing I will do is to convince my colleagues to go out from Central,' he said.
