All Around Town: Coordination failure by Hong Kong University 'opposition'

An election to fill three places on the University of Hong Kong's ruling council is taking a suitably political tone. In the recent council decision to reject pro-democracy scholar Johannes Chan Man-mun for a pro-vice-chancellor post, government-appointed and external members outnumbered staff and students in the vote. Now eight candidates are vying for three seats, and at least one, former provost Richard Wong Yue-chim, is known for his pro-establishment stance. Four share a similar position critical of the council: philosophy professor Timothy O'Leary, politics professor Joseph Chan Cho-wai, and two office holders of the teaching staff association. By the deadline to withdraw nominations yesterday, they had failed to "co-ordinate" in the style of pan-democrats at elections to prevent running against each other and thus handing victory to a rival. Asked why they did not agree to just field three candidates, as the association suggested, O'Leary replied: "It is good many candidates have come forward. Teachers will have a broad range to choose from. The results should give us an accurate indication of teacher sentiment about the ongoing controversies." Joyce Ng

Christopher Chung Shu-kun has never impressed Hongkongers with his English skills, and the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong lawmaker has excelled himself with a poster for the district council elections. The University of Wales MBA graduate spells his name "Chirs" - a mistake, he insists, that was not his. "The name was right on the first and second editions that we checked. How could I know that they would get it wrong in the final edition that went to print?" Chung lamented. "I will ask the company to explain why they got it wrong." But Chung is in good company. DAB chairwoman Starry Lee Wai-king said the party also mixed up the Chinese abbreviations of the New Territories Association of Societies, a DAB ally, and the radical pro-democracy League of Social Democrats group. Stuart Lau and Tony Cheung

The new Facebook account of Leung Chun-ying became a subject of mockery in the legislature yesterday, with pro-establishment lawmaker Lam Tai-fai asking the government whether the chief executive's revelation of "planting honey peaches and dragon fruits" could help his re-election bid. Civic Party lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki asked whether it was possible to become Leung's "friend", prompting ally Charles Mok to ask if Kwok was expecting closer ties with the common enemy. Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah revealed that the government had taken reference of foreign leaders' social media experiences and said Leung was trying to "share with the public his reflections on life and work". What about the 2017 election? No comment. Stuart Lau