JEFFIE LAMjeffie.lam@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Monday, 07 September, 2015, 4:33am
UPDATED : Monday, 07 September, 2015, 1:12pm
Residents collect fresh water at one of the temporary distribution points at Kai Ching Estate in Kai Tak. Photo: May Tse
Kai Tak North is making headlines not because it is a new constituency in the district council elections, but rather for being a public estate in the area that became ground zero for the lead-in-water scare.
Residents in Kai Ching Estate are not just tackling what has been dubbed "water-gate", but also the poll aspirants who are seeking to turn their home into an electoral battlefield.
To pan-democrat Jay Li Ting-fung from the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood (ADPL), who is considering running in the new constituency in November, the issue is a double-edged sword as it has brought him not only opportunities but also risks.
"The saga has given community workers like us more exposure," Li told the Post as he set up a booth in the estate to collect another set of signatures to push the Legislative Council to investigate the scandal.
"I get to know more about the residents with whom I had less contact before. People discuss the matter with me and offer suggestions."
Ahead of the polls, the Electoral Affairs Commission divided the old Kai Tak constituency into three - Sung Wong Toi, Kai Tak North and Kai Tak South - to cater to the tens of thousands of people who moved into the newly built Kai Ching and Tak Long estates, constructed on the site of the old airport.
But Li faced what he called a smear campaign as the social worker began attracting more publicity in the district.
Jay Li is considering running in Kai Tak North. Photo: May Tse
His party was taken to task by a pro-Beijing newspaper for not informing residents immediately even though he and his colleagues had already realised there was something wrong with the water earlier this year.
At least four banners were put up near the main road to condemn the pan-democratic group. Leaflets bearing the same message made their way quickly into residents' homes.
Li dismissed the allegation, saying it took time for his party, with limited resources, to verify the case with experts after receiving anonymous complaints from a tenant. The party was trying to avoid unnecessary panic instead of covering up the scandal, he said.
Admitting that she was behind the leaflets, Leung Yuen-ting of the pro-Beijing Kowloon City District Resident Association, who is also tipped to run, said the ADPL deserved to face questions.
"It is a matter of people's health. They should not have been so slow in dealing with the issue," the 28-year-old said.
Although Leung said it was "too early" to talk about the election, she had been fairly active in Kai Ching Estate and had offered free water checks for affected occupants - a service that Li said he could never afford.
She disagreed there was a big discrepancy in resources compared with Li, saying many free gifts she gave out were actually donated by people who sympathised with the plight of estate residents.
For example, the moon cakes she distributed were provided by Li Lin, the district councillor for Ma Tau Kok constituency, who is a member of the Kowloon City residents' association.
Despite their different political views, both Li and Leung admitted the candidates' political views would not be the top concerns of voters, but rather their performance in community work.
"Most of the residents here moved from subdivided flats and are not very well off," said Leung. "Of course they would care more about livelihood issues."
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1855878/hong-kongs-lead-water-scare-adds-spice-kai-tak-north-election-contest
