The University of Hong Kong's student union took an unusual and expensive step into the chief executive election campaign yesterday.
It placed advertisements in eight newspapers questioning candidate Leung Chun-ying's involvement in what it calls 'black gold politics'.
Newspaper insiders say the union would have spent at least HK$300,000 on the full-page advertisements, which urge Leung to clarify what happened at the now notorious February 10 dinner attended by members of his campaign staff.
Also at the dinner was controversial businessman Kwok Wing-hung - known as 'Shanghai Boy' - who is allegedly linked to a complaint to police by rival candidate Henry Tang Ying-yen.
'Does it mean 'black gold politics' is the tactic deployed by the Leung camp in the election campaign and in governing Hong Kong if elected?' the union asked in its advertisement.
The term 'black gold politics' refers to collusion between triad societies and politicians.
A former union president said the union had never placed a newspaper advertisement on any issue in her time, while a political scientist said student unions normally did not take sides in local elections.