Pro-Beijing party scrambling to find 200 jobs and restore morale of staff crushed in Hong Kong elections

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong turns to mainland-friendly companies for help

Pro-establishment camp facing loss of 100 offices at local level after humiliation in district council polls

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Starry Lee, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong chairwoman (centre) meets members of the press with other party members the day after the district council elections. Photo: Robert Ng

Published: 7:00am, 30 Dec 2019Updated: 9:04am, 30 Dec 2019

Hong Kong’s largest pro-establishment party is scrambling to find around 200 jobs for its out-of-work politicians and their staff after its humiliating defeat in the district council elections last month.

Crushed at local level, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) also faces the prospect of losing 100 district offices, and is battling to save party morale ahead of next year’s Legislative Council elections.

Party insiders told the Post they were hoping to find positions for people with businesses linked to mainland China, or that were Beijing-friendly, so those defeated candidates could maintain a grass-roots presence as they worked towards a comeback in four years’ time.

“Those mainland-funded companies allow flexible working hours, so the candidates can continue working in districts on top of the office jobs,” said a party member, speaking on condition of anonymity. “But it is not easy for listed companies which have to be transparent for their shareholders.”

Some 96 DAB candidates lost their seats in November’s polls, as the city’s pro-establishment camp relinquished control of 17 of the 18 district councils. Defeated candidates with offices in public estates must return them to the government, while those with private ones can keep them, if they can afford the rent.