bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Fears of 'hidden members' in Election Committee poll

Beijing is seeking a membership list for the newly formed Civic Party, fearing 'hidden members' could join this year's Election Committee poll.

Sources close to the central government  said officials  from its  liaison office in Hong Kong had been asking veteran professionals and businessmen from the city   over the past month whether they had joined the new pro-democracy party.

The Civic Party, launched in March, has kept its membership list confidential, as do  all  parties in the city, because of  privacy concerns.

Bernard Lim Wan-fung,  a former president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, said an official from the liaison office asked about his political affiliation three weeks ago during a study trip in Guangzhou.

'He  asked whether I had joined the Civic Party. I just told him that I hadn't,' he said.

A member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, who did not want to be named,  said Beijing was concerned  'hidden members' from the Civic Party could join the Election Committee poll later this year. A date for the election has still to be set.

'Beijing is very much concerned because the Civic Party is stronger than the Democratic Party. I know people from the liaison office have been asking around about the membership list.

'It is easier to be elected to the Election Committee if you are regarded as politically neutral. They are worried that there could be hidden party members in the upcoming election,' he said.

'They want to know which Election Committee candidates are from the Civic Party so that they can  better plan their strategy.'

The 800-strong committee will select the next chief executive in early 2007.

Under the present rules, candidates for the committee are not required to declare their political affiliation. The pro-democracy camp is hoping to secure more than the required 100 seats on the committee to nominate its own candidate for the chief executive election.

Another CPPCC member, who also requested anonymity,  said: 'Beijing needs to know who the members are, and their backgrounds,  to determine the party's links with business tycoons and big corporations. I believe that they have already identified most of the party members.'

Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung,  a Civic Party vice-chairman, said there were no business tycoons among the party's 130 members.

Most  of the members were professionals, he said.



Civic Party names sought by Beijing