‘Shadow chief executive’ can hold Hong Kong government to account, says pan-dem lawmaker

An unofficial public vote to elect a "shadow chief executive and cabinet" to monitor the government is a possible way forward after the political reform package is voted down, a pan-democrat lawmaker said yesterday.

Speaking on DBC radio, NeoDemocrats legislator Gary Fan Kwok-wai also ruled out joining his colleagues in meeting central government officials in Shenzhen on Sunday because he believed it would be a "meaningless public relations show".

"I cannot see what results it would get as there might not even be enough time for us to elaborate on our views," he said.

Local officials and pro-establishment lawmakers see the meeting as a last-ditch effort to persuade pan-democrats to support the government's reforms.

The proposal follows a framework Beijing laid down last August, which ruled Hong Kong must choose from two or three candidates endorsed by a 1,200-strong nominating body when it elects its leader by popular ballot in 2017. All 27 pan-democrats have vowed to vote against the plan next month, saying it deprives voters of a genuine choice.

When asked by a DBC host about his plans after voting down the package, Fan cited an article written by Occupy Central co-founder Benny Tai Yiu-ting about a "shadow cabinet".

"[Tai said] we can host a civil referendum to choose a 'shadow chief executive', who will form a 'shadow cabinet'. This is a way forward to think about," Fan said.

The idea has been raised by several pan-democrat veterans in the past decade. Democratic Party founding chairman Martin Lee Chu-ming said in August 2013 that pan-democrats should get ready for the chief executive race by forming a shadow cabinet.

Fan said, "a shadow cabinet will show Hongkongers that we do have the political talent [to rule], and through debates they will see the good and bad points about government policies".

After the programme, Fan said his understanding was that those lawmakers who took part in a dialogue with mainland officials at Beijing's liaison office in 2010 would not be joining the meeting on Sunday.

Democratic Party lawmakers Wu Chi-wai, Helena Wong Pik-wan and Sin Chung-kai will attend the meeting, but other pan-democratic parties have yet to announce who they will send.