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Legislative Council elections 2016
Hong KongPolitics

Songwriter Adrian Chow vies for hotly contested functional constituency seat against pro-Beijing incumbent

Adrian Chow is aiming for place in Legislative Council to represent sports, performing arts, culture and publication sector

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Adrian Chow poses with his wife after submitting his nomination papers in Sha Tin. Photo: Edward Wong
Stuart Lau

Competition is expected to be fierce among candidates vying for functional constituency seats in the upcoming Legislative Council elections on September 4. With 12 candidates in 10 functional constituencies being returned unopposed, 43 candidates will run for seats in 18 trade-based constituencies – four more contested functional constituencies than in the 2012 Legco polls. Here, we look at the sports, performing arts, culture and publication sector.

Adrian Chow Pok-yin is best known for writing songs that shed light on the ills of Hong Kong for Canto-pop singer Kay Tse. As if to show that music is no panacea for the complex social issues he reflects on, Chow made himself one of the least expected names on the Legislative Council candidacy list.

He even picked a difficult battlefield – the functional constituency representing sports, performing arts, culture and publication – an electorate open only to selected groups and associations, many of which are considered friendly to the government.

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“When you have a pool of dirty water, someone has to get inside and pull the plug,” Chow said. “If no one does so, it will stay dirty forever.”

It is almost David versus Goliath for Chow to face a rival like the incumbent pro-Beijing lawmaker, Ma Fung-kwok, who scooped nearly 65 per cent of about 1,600 votes cast in the 2012 poll.

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Ma, he said, had failed to focus on how Hong Kong could move forward in terms of cultural development.

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