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There are signs that a truce has broken out in the struggle between the mainstream and reformist camps in the Democratic Party.

The dust seems to have settled after a report, issued 10 days ago, criticised some reformist members in connection with possible infiltration of the party by mainland elements.

Vice-chairman Chan King-ming  of the reformist faction, who was singled out for criticism in the report, was re-elected as chairman of the party's New Territories East branch by a big margin on Saturday.

His win was helped by last-minute support from a mainstream member of the party.

Sha Tin district councillor Lau Tai-sang,   nominated by the mainstream faction, abandoned his challenge against Mr Chan and backed him instead.

In another sign of amity,  vice-chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan  agreed to attend a party discussion - initiated by the reformists - on internal reform scheduled for Friday, which happens to be his birthday.

In a reciprocal show of goodwill, Gary Fan Kwok-wai  of the reformist faction says he will bring a birthday cake for Mr Ho to the meeting.

Mr Ho has teamed up with two moderates to contest  the party leadership at its annual general meeting next month.  Chairman Lee Wing-tat  has  decided not to run for another term.

Mr Chan, a vice-chairman, is unlikely to seek re-election.

Mr Ho is generally seen as the mainstream faction's core member who is most acceptable to the reformists. His move to take the helm, with two new deputies, marks a serious attempt by the leadership to make a fresh start after months, if not years, of internal squabbling.

The two would-be vice-chairmen, Sin Chung-kai and Tik Chi-yuen, are known as moderates in the party.

The election of the New Territories East branch, and the Ho team's expected election in mid-December, sets the scene for promising developments. The intense infighting and mud-slinging within the party is likely to quieten down, at least temporarily.

Its focus can now shift  to  reforms aimed at promoting  internal democracy and power sharing within the party. And preparations for contesting district council elections in December next year are also set to intensify.

A sense of  calm and comradeship seems to be in the air, as the party's two major factions come to understand how badly it could hurt the party's image, strength and unity if they allowed the protracted row to drag on.

Beneath the calm surface, however, is a depth of unsettled feelings about the party's course of future development.

This is not the first factional dispute in the Democratic Party.  Shortly after the handover, a row between the mainstream faction and the  'young turks' camp resulted in the departure of 18  young members.

One major contentious issue  at the time was  a sharp divide over labour-rights issues.

This time, however, the long-running dispute between the reformist and mainstream factions stemmed largely from their tussle over sharing power in decision-making and allocating seats in the Legislative Council's geographical constituency elections.

The popularity of the like-minded Civic Party is rising and the electoral strength of the Democrats  is shrinking. So young reformists are increasingly impatient and anxious about the future of their political careers.

Their rising aspirations for a bigger role in the party's decision-making echelon and a better chance of winning a seat in Legco will remain a tough political challenge.

There will be high expectations that the new  leadership will develop  a set of long-term reforms in the party's operations and management.

This task has long been delayed. The new leadership must not fail to sit down, reflect on the party's situation, and come up with a fresh attempt to rebuild public trust and support for what was once the flagship of the pro-democratic camp.

Chris Yeung is the Post's editor-at-large



Peace breaks out