District council elections will see clashes between pro-democracy groups
JEFFIE LAMjeffie.lam@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Friday, 18 September, 2015, 12:32am
UPDATED : Friday, 18 September, 2015, 12:34am
Joseph Cheng Yu-shek (centre), founder of Power for Democracy, said the set-up was better than that for the last district council elections, in which radical group People Power fielded candidates against other pan-democrats in tens of constituencies. Photo: Nora Tam
Established pan-democratic parties and groups formed by veterans of the Occupy protests are set to go head to head in at least 14 constituencies in November's district council elections, according to a group coordinating the camp's efforts.
All but one of the parties in the pan-democratic camp and 14 new organisations inspired by last year's pro-democracy sit-ins have been working together to avoid such clashes according to the coordinating group, Power for Democracy.
Some 200 aspiring district councillors from pro-democracy groups and parties will only face pro-Beijing rivals in the polls.
Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, founder of Power for Democracy, said the set-up was better than that for the last district council elections, in which radical group People Power fielded candidates against other pan-democrats in tens of constituencies, in a bid to punish parties that backed a compromise with the government on political reform in 2010.
"People Power has not joined the coordination efforts but has signed an agreement this time in which we promise not to attack each other," he said.
However, attempts to work with three post-Occupy groups, including Youngspiration, have failed in 14 constituencies.
Pan-democratic candidates in these districts will face greater competition for votes as the pro-democracy vote will be split, which could help hand victory to pro-establishment rivals.
(From Left) Lawmaker James To, Eastern District Council by Election Candidate Cheung Kwok-cheong and Andrew Chiu Ka-yin to file complaints on the suspected vote-planting activities outside Eastern Magistracy. Photo: May TseAndrew Chiu Ka-yin, convenor of Power for Democracy, said he suspected at least two pro-Beijing figures with their eye on the district council elections had pretended to be supporters of Occupy in an attempt to snatch votes from "genuine" pan-democratic candidates.
Chiu said the pair, one of whom he named as Winnie Wun Kei-yan, were lost for words when questioned on how they had participated in the sit-ins, although they had included yellow ribbon logos - a symbol of the Occupy movement - on their campaign posters.
Wun on Thursday said she decided to run last month and randomly picked the constituency covering Wah Fu Estate in Aberdeen to contest.
"It is unfair to accuse me of being a Beijing loyalist without offering any proof. Why can't we [contest] it together if we are both Occupy supporters?" Wun said.
She added that she had visited the Occupy protest sites occasionally but was opposed to any "violent protests".
http://m.scmp.com/news/article/1859240/pan-democrats-take-occupy-activist-groups-14-constituencies-hong-kong-district
