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With a touch of humour and humility verging on self-ridicule over her image and dress style, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee  declared her candidacy, last Thursday, for December's Legislative Council by-election.
The former security chief even displayed remorse and frank self-reflection:  she tendered a belated apology to Hongkongers  offended by her  provocative remarks  while handling the national security bill in 2003.
In  her first step on the path of elective politics, Mrs Ip was hoping people would forgive and forget her misjudged approach in trying to bulldoze through the unpopular  legislation.
Four years on, she was keen to impress Hong Kong Island constituents and society at large that she has learned from past failures and has  changed for the better.
Her decision to go through the baptism of election showed  her support for democracy, she said: 'I have no difference with the pan-democratic camp over the issue of supporting democracy.'
She could hardly have uttered a more intriguing statement as she drew the line  between the two camps contending the by-election.
Opposing Mrs Ip is the pro-democratic camp lined up behind former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang.
As she faced the cameras on Thursday, Mrs Ip was accompanied by former chief secretary Sir David Akers-Jones and other prominent figures from different walks of life, including pro-Beijing, pro-government political party leaders.
Forget about her insistence on being an independent candidate. She is clearly  carrying the  pro-Beijing, pro-government banner into a battle that carries both substantive and symbolic significance.
Hopes are running  high in the pro- Beijing camp that Mrs Ip will  redraw the political contours of the Hong Kong Island constituency. Specifically, they hope she can  shatter the 60-40 split  of votes - between pan-democrat and pro-government supporters, respectively - that has characterised  previous geographical elections.
It is by no means just wishful thinking to imagine that Mrs Ip can upset that well- established voting pattern.
She has a strong, elite image and background as a top civil servant. It is little wonder that the pro-establishment forces see her as the best bet to broaden their base of support in society.  To do that, Mrs Ip will have to move closer to the political centre, soliciting support from voters more inclined to back pro-democracy candidates.
It's not surprising, then, that she has put together a cross-sector team of supporters with a broad range of political views. This is an effort to dilute her pro-Beijing, pro-government image.
Her lineup of supporters on Thursday did not include the traditional stalwarts of the pro-Beijing camp, such as the Federation of Trade Unions,  Heung Yee Kuk  and local deputies to the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Instead, her backers included  several political moderates, such as businessman Allan Zeman and pro-democracy dermatologist  Louis Shih Tai-cho.  However  diverse her team of supporters, Mrs Ip will still face  the difficulty of positioning herself as an independent while counting on political support from pro-Beijing, pro-government forces.
Put bluntly, she will be dismissed by cynics and critics as just another pawn in the political chess game masterminded by Beijing to help the Tsang administration maintain order.
But voters will ask themselves who can best speak for them in a partially democratic legislature - at a time when tensions underlie Beijing-Hong Kong relations. Mrs Ip's establishment label could be critically important in a close election race.
Chris Yeung is the Post's editor-at-large.



Regina Ip tries to soften the hard edges