Who is Au Nok-hin? Hong Kong pan-democrats’ next Legco by-election candidate, that’s who

Ex-Democratic Party member once hailed as ‘progressive’ offers candidacy for hotly contested March 11 race after Agnes Chow blocked

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Au Nok-hin joined the Democratic Party in 2009 but left last year to pursue his own political beliefs. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 8:33pm, 28 Jan 2018Updated: 9:27pm, 28 Jan 2018

Hardly considered a leading figure in Hong Kong’s pan-democratic camp, Au Nok-hin has suddenly entered the spotlight after offering his candidacy for the city’s legislative by-election on March 11.

The Southern district councillor submitted his nomination on Saturday as part of the political opposition’s backup plan for the hotly contested race after officials rejected Agnes Chow Ting of Demosisto on the grounds that her party called for local “self-determination” under Beijing’s rule.

The pan-democrats did not hold a so-called primary for the Hong Kong Island constituency, having originally calculated that Chow would have no problem getting her candidacy confirmed. For this reason, no contingency strategy previously existed, unlike for Kowloon West, where former lawmaker Edward Yiu Chung-yim was the camp’s choice but still facing uncertainty about being allowed to run given his ouster last year for an improper oath of office.

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If confirmed, Au’s candidacy could deal a significant blow to the pro-establishment camp. Judy Chan Ka-pui, of the New People’s Party, is comparatively much less experienced in politics than Au.

A Democratic Party member from 2009 until last year, Au, 30, quit the group “to pursue his own political beliefs”. He had been seen as one of its “young turks” and since 2011 has served as a Southern district councillor.

Veteran Democrat Lee Wing-tat described him in an interview with the Post in 2014 as “one of the few progressive members” of the party.

In Hong Kong, a “progressive” politician often refers to someone willing to use more radical means to bring issues to the fore.

Au (left) with fellow Democratic Party members in 2012 as they submitted their application in Wan Chai to run in the Legislative Council elections. Photo: David Wong