Only pro-Beijing candidates should be allowed run in 2017, says Fanny Law
Exco member says excluding democrats from election would not be regressive
Executive councillor Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun says the nominating committee for the 2017 chief executive election should put forward only "capable" patriots who would not confront Beijing, in order to eliminate the possibility of someone confrontational winning the election after "smearing" rivals for the top job.
Law, who headed Leung Chun-ying's office in 2012 when he was chief executive-elect, also said that while she did not believe all pan-democrats were confrontational to Beijing or unpatriotic, the 2017 poll shouldn't be regarded as "regressive" even if no democrats were nominated.
She made the remarks after attending Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing's talk show on the Our TV website yesterday.
"Smear tactics can happen any time during an election," she said. "But if the nominating committee put forward candidates that are not confrontational towards Beijing, it doesn't really matter who wins."
Law cited the "senseless" allegations that Leung had had dinner with people linked to triad gangs as an example of a smear.
"We knew we did not have triad links. But Hongkongers believed and were scared and [Leung's] popularity plunged," Law said.
She said it was normal for a candidate to lose because he lacked ability, a good manifesto or vision, "but we don't want to see a good candidate lose because of some groundless accusations that frighten Hongkongers."