Political Animal
Fearless league to work political voodoo
Undaunted by attacks from all fronts over its antics and abusive language in Legco, the League of Social Democrats has set its sights on its next target - Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen. With Mr Tsang's next question time at Legco scheduled for May 14, the league can't wait for its next show. League chairman Wong Yuk-man said its legislators were planning to give Mr Tsang a special gift, a caonima doll complete with bow-tie. The grass-mud horse dolls are the creation of smart mainland netizens. The name sounds like an unprintable phrase people use to show their anger and frustration. Mr Wong said: 'We won't throw the doll at Mr Tsang. We will hand it to him very politely.' The league was also planning to play the song of the caonima's epic struggle, which more than 1.2 million people had looked at on YouTube as of last week, in Legco, he said.
DAB veteran to joust with younger hopefuls
The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong keeps going out of its way to publicise opportunities for young members to climb up the political ladder. While its rookie legislator Starry Lee Wai-king and Young DAB chief Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan have been tipped as hopefuls for the party's vice-chairmanship, a political veteran has surprisingly emerged as another possible candidate. Carson Wen Ka-shuen, solicitor and National People's Congress deputy, was likely to contest the post, some DAB members said. Mr Wen, who will turn 56 next month, is seeking a seat on the party's central committee - from which the chairman and four vice-chairmen are elected. The former Hong Kong Progressive Alliance vice-chairman could not be reached for comment.
Democrat nods newspapers' rare support
Recalling his two-decade political career, veteran Democrat Cheung Man-kwong said yesterday was the first time some pro-Beijing papers backed him - referring to reports he was involved in an alleged indecent assault case. 'It is such a big offence and luckily none of them have smeared me,' the lawmaker said. He was canvassing for a colleague in the Sha Tin District Council by-election on Sunday but ended up as a witness in the case. He said that the Democrats stand was mobbed and he had not been able to move but he suddenly heard a woman shouting that she had been assaulted by him. The lawmaker was accompanied by the Civic Party's Ronny Tong Ka-wah to give evidence at the local police station.
Council name in advert unintended
The titles 'Tsuen Wan District Council' and 'Tsuen Wan District Council chairman Chau How-chen' may look a bit different, but using the wrong one could cause a big misunderstanding. The council's name, along with those of some 60 other groups and individuals, appeared in a full-page advert in five Chinese-language newspapers on Saturday, celebrating the appointment of Heung Yee Kuk chairman Lau Wong-fat to the Executive Council. Mr Chau, a member of the kuk, said he had meant to congratulate Mr Lau in person and said he had never intended to use the council's name in the ad. The kuk's vice-chairmen Daniel Lam Wai-keung and Cheung Hok-ming yesterday wrote to apologise to Mr Chau, explaining that the mistake had been made by staff at one of the newspapers involved.
