Will popular John Tsang even get nominated for Hong Kong’s leadership race?
Albert Cheng worries that the former financial secretary may not get on the ballot paper because the pro-establishment electors have flocked to Carrie Lam, Beijing’s perceived pick, and the pan-democrats are dawdling
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It is thus obvious that Tsang can only receive a minimal number of nominations from pro-establishment members. He will have to rely on the democratic bloc in the committee, who have more than 300 votes, to get through. The so-called pro-democrats, however, remain indecisive. This has irritated Tsang’s supporters.
A candidate needs at least 150 nominations from the 1,194 Election Committee members. The names of the nominators will be open for public inspection. Li’s stance will set an example for others in the business sector who do not want to offend any contenders. At the same time, since the tycoon also made it clear that he would cast his secret ballot on March 26 for the person who would uphold the “one country, two systems” principle and the rule of law, his example may make it more difficult for Lam to get the 600 or more votes she needs to win the election. When polling day comes, who knows how many of her supposed supporters will defect to the Tsang camp?
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Of course, all of this depends on Tsang getting nominated first. Up until now, only the Democratic Party and some Election Committee members from the legal, insurance and education sectors have confirmed their support for Tsang. The majority of the remainder of the 326 members of the pro-democratic camp have stayed non-committal. This is disappointing because they are expected to support in principle the most popular contender.
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To be sure, Tsang is not the most outstanding in terms of policy advocacy. But his interpersonal skills and moderate governing style have won him popular support. He is a breath of fresh air after years of intransigent governance under the Leung Chun-ying administration. Tsang is receptive to different opinions. This is a prerequisite for our next leader.
I believe transport is a one vital policy area where Tsang can improve his political platform to make himself even more palatable to the people. He could consider a government takeover of the MTR Corporation, which would continue to adopt a business-oriented operation model but, instead of maximising profits, it should aim to recover its operating costs. This can result in lower fares, to benefit commuters. The government should also acquire all bus companies and cross-harbour tunnels, to become more effective in rationalising tolls and easing congestion.
Albert Cheng King-hon is a political commentator. [email protected]
