At long last, former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang has decided to take the plunge, get her toes wet and her hands dirty. For her, there was no other choice if she was going to remain politically relevant in Hong Kong. In 2005, she intrigued everyone for months by keeping them guessing about whether she would run for chief executive. After she announced her decision not to stand, public interest in her flagged. Since then, she has made pronouncements, speaking for herself and her core group. But public attention inevitably dropped, as she was neither an official nor a candidate. That is why she acknowledged, when announcing her candidacy last week: 'Without a platform, your views will be brushed aside by Beijing and the SAR government.' Between now and December, her candidacy will provide a platform; after that, hopefully, her status as a lawmaker will make people listen when she speaks. One reason why Mrs Chan decided to run was to influence the outcome of the green paper consultations on democratic reforms in Hong Kong. Since the consultation period will end on October 10 - almost two months before the by-election - she must make full use of the coming weeks to revive interest and intensify discussion in the community. She published an open letter to Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen last month, saying the green paper did not live up to his pledge to set out three possible models for attaining universal suffrage. Now, she and her advisers must complete a report on the green paper by October 10. After that, she will need to follow closely how the Tsang administration interprets the public response. Mrs Chan's candidacy should heighten interest not only in the by-election but in politics in general. Already there are reports that Beijing is concerned about how her candidacy might affect the district council elections on November 18. The turnout in December may well be a record high, and the outcome will be seen as a reflection of the community's interest in, and commitment to, universal suffrage. Now that she has decided to join the fray, Mrs Chan seems willing to go all the way - beginning with a debate with another Legislative Council aspirant, Lo Wing-lok of the League of Social Democrats. After that, assuming she wins, she will become the pan-democratic camp's candidate. The election itself is being seen by many as tantamount to a dry run for the chief executive position, or even as a referendum on universal suffrage. But Mrs Chan must avoid being seen as a one-issue candidate. After all, her vast experience in government guarantees that she should have things to say about virtually any issue that may emerge. The former chief secretary is wise to run as an independent. Even though she is dependent on the various democratic parties and personalities to manage her campaign, she should try to carve out a position for herself rather than be lumped into the pan-democratic camp. She should certainly not try to be the leader of that fractious camp. That would be the kiss of death, and end any hope of communication with Beijing. In Legco, she would probably cast her vote in line with most of the other democrats though, even here, there may well be room for differences. But her presence would be felt most when the chief executive appears for question-and-answer sessions. Then, Mrs Chan could make observations and ask penetrating questions, given her knowledge of the way the government operates - accumulated during 39 years as a civil servant. Having Mrs Chan speak on a range of issues will inject a breath of fresh air into the discussions. The business community's voice also needs to be heard, although that voice seems increasingly to be drowning out all the others. It is time for a change. Frank Ching is a Hong Kong-based writer and commentator. frank.ching@scmp.com
