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SCMP Reporter

A Nepali fan of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou  ran in the Legislative Council election last Sunday. He lost and was forced to forfeit HK$50,000, but in the end, he figured  the exercise was worth it.
Although many people might think the Legco election was boring, it was not for Thapa Komal, a Nepali who has lived in Hong Kong for the past 12 years.
Born in Hong Kong 28 years ago, Mr Komal went to Nepal like many children of Nepali soldiers in the British Army. He  therefore did not get the chance to  familiarise himself with Hong Kong and its languages.
But he came back to his birthplace  at the age of 16.  'Hong Kong has more earning opportunities,' he said.
Like many other new arrivals, Mr Komal had a hard time in the first years after his return. 'Because of the language difficulties ... there are so many problems when going to the Labour Department, the Immigration Department, the Legal Aid Department.
'I have to fight due to the lack of understanding of the languages,' said Mr Komal, who still does not speak English or Cantonese well. Even now, he needs his cousin, Thapa Nirmaca, to be his translator.
Mr Komal said he ran because he wanted to unite Nepalis in Hong Kong and he wanted to help  the needy. He participates in organisations helping the local Nepali population.
Mr Komal joined his friend, Tanya Leung Suet-fong,  on a ticket in the New Territories West. She is the head of the Ma Ying-jeou  Hong Kong Fan Club and advocates improved cross-strait relations.
'He works even harder than me,' she said of Mr Komal.
In a televised debate, while Ms Leung was asking why some candidates supported Taiwan's pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, Mr Komal was obviously bored.
He admitted that he only  understood about half of what  was happening in the election debate forum held in Cantonese.
'Nobody  dared to question me on anything,' he said, and he did not question other candidates.
However, he said he enjoyed the experience.
Although Mr Komal and Ms Leung only got 1,366 votes and had to forfeit the HK$50,000 deposit because they received less than  3 per cent of the vote, he was satisfied.
'We could have had more votes than we actually got,' he said. 'Many Nepalis are not registered.'
Mr Komal estimated the total population of Nepalis in Hong Kong was about 30,000, but the number of registered voters might be  fewer than 2,500.
But the experience has not deterred him from politics;  he plans to run in a District Council election. 'I want to be a politician. A smaller area might be easier.'



Nepali Legco loser wants future in politics