Michael Choi, fighter for those prosperity passed by

From the time Michael Choi Ngai-min lent his support publicly to his former colleague of 30 years, Leung Chun-ying, 12 months ago, he was prepared to continue doing his bit to see the city's housing needs satisfied, despite the setbacks he had with the previous administration.

Choi, a long-time government adviser, did not give up even as the "passive" administration of Donald Tsang Yam-kuen brushed off his attempts to improve the lot of the working class.

When Leung, the surveyor-turned-politician, announced his bid for the top job on November 27 last year, Choi showed up, along with dozens of other prominent Leung supporters.

Choi, a successful property consultant, did not always have a passion to do good. He used to think everybody, including the downtrodden, should work hard and get ahead in life on their own merits. He changed his self-centred beliefs as he became exposed to the needs of society.

"While we are lucky to get the things we want, we should not assume others will [be as lucky as we are], but rather, as a society, a government should have the method and the policy to help different social classes improve their livelihoods," Choi says.

Choi and other Leung supporters, dubbed "Leung fans" in the media, are now serving on a variety of advisory bodies.