Ha's future rests on phone quiz
A FORMER district board member who tried to kill herself two months ago is to conduct a telephone poll on whether she should still stand for election next year.
Peggy Ha Ving-vung fears her high-profile suicide attempt may have turned voters against her.
'I need to know whether they think that if I'm too emotional in dealing with my private affairs, the same might apply when serving the public,' she said.
The former head of district affairs organisation for the United Democrats - now merged with Meeting Point to form the Democratic Party - Ms Ha had been confident of winning a seat in next March's Urban Council election.
She now says her suicide attempt has reduced her chances to 50-50.
Ms Ha hit the headlines in August after trying to kill herself by drinking disinfectant, amid reports of a love triangle.
Ms Ha declined to confirm these reports, but fears rival candidates might distribute thousands of copies of them if she goes ahead with plans to stand for the Shamshuipo seat, where she has been a district board member for the past nine years.
'Even though I believe most voters would not be affected by my suicide attempt, these biased reports might affect them,' she said.
Ms Ha decided on conducting a telephone survey to gauge public attitude towards the incident after receiving conflicting advice from friends about whether she should still stand.
She will give up her candidature if the poll reveals negative attitudes towards her.
'If this happens, I have to accept the reality that my sensational act has halted my political career. It's useless to say whether I regret it or no,' she said.
