When Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen agreed to a request by Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee for meetings with his ministers he believed it would not be a problem - even if all the other candidates in the Legislative Council by-election made similar demands. Indeed, he said last month that there would only be a few people contesting the Hong Kong Island seat.
How wrong he was. Eight candidates will now be standing, more than Mr Tsang - and others including Mrs Ip and Anson Chan Fang On-sang, the two leading contenders - could have anticipated.
Ivan Choy Chi-keung, an election expert at Chinese University, has likened the by-election to a farce, with the potential clash between two heavyweight candidates degenerating into a free-for-all.
In view of the fact that the media has to accord fair and equal treatment to each candidate, there is unlikely to be a by-election equivalent of the lively televised debate between Mr Tsang and the Civic Party's Alan Leong Kah-kit during the chief executive election. Indeed, fears that the television forum - which helps enliven an election atmosphere and provides a channel for candidates to present themselves to voters - would lack sparkle are probably not without basis.
There is now a sense of anticlimax, stemming from a widely held view that it is primarily down to a choice between Mrs Chan and Mrs Ip and the political ideas and approach they represent.
It is, therefore, not surprising that people feel confused about the other aspirants, with diverse backgrounds and agendas, who have entered the fray. This is despite the fact that the spirit of democratic elections is to encourage more people to come out and provide a choice for the voters. With that in mind, the six less well-known candidates should be given the benefit of any doubt about their motives for running, and be allowed to tell the people what, exactly, they stand for.
Their entry should not be seen as an indication that the by-election has become less serious or important and, therefore, voters and society in general should care any less. From a positive perspective, there are now more choices on the political platter.
