Hong Kong Politics

As a registered voter in Hong Kong, I've been trying to find out as much about the varoius candidates in next Sunday's LegCo elections as possible. This isn't always that easy when you don't read Chinese. Previously Hemlock's guide to the Candidates has been one of the few points of information available.

This morning, number one daughter presented me with the contents of the mailbox, including the very same pleading and begging brochures so masterfully snarked at by Hemlock, above. In numerical order...

Stability to Advance Democracy, Harmony to build Tomorrow. Voting ticket number 1 will get you the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, where 'betterment' means 'doing whatever Beijing wants'. It's an attractive leaflet, with some biographical information in English, but all of the policy information is in Chinese, if it's there at all. These guys are the party of shamelessly sucking up to Beijing and Hong Kong becoming just another Mainland city. Ironically, a vote for them would convince Beijing that Hong Kongers can be trusted to vote for only officially approved candidates who toe the Central Government line, and is thus more likely to bring about Universal Sufferage in the election of the Chief Executive than anyone else.

Serving HK, no fear, no favourRita Fan, thoughtfully sends out a detailed policy document in English. This glossy document not only illustrates the depth's of Ms. Fan's political platform, it also clearly shows a woeful lack of graphic design. Having three or four different fonts on the same page produces and effect much like a ransom note, while the sea of faded background images and muted colours looks like somone recently acquired a Mac and is a big fan of Miami Vice.

Vote for the "Bull" Say no to C.H. TUNGTicket No. 3 represents Tsang Kin Shing, Bull. Other than encouraging farmyard animals to attack our current Chief Executive, his policies remain unclear, as there's no English text apart from email addresses and such like. Just going by the pictures, he appears to all for burning things, wearing t-shirts with slogans, and using a microphone like Freddy Mercury. He also portrays himself as a bit of a superhero, or maybe he's supposed to be one of those Wu Xia warriors we see on TVB every night. Looks more like one of those Mexican Wrestler politicians to me.

Where are the democrats?I haven't received any bumph from the democratic party yet.

GIVE ME FIVE - HONG KONG SURE WINAre all the other candiates too exciting? Do they have views which are too strongly held? Would you prefer to vote for a nice dull looking person in a grey suit? Then Kelvin Wong Kam Fai on ticket number 5 is your only man. His 'brochure' — and I use that term very loosely here — is a single sheet of A4 printed in black and white. Apart from a return to Chinglish, as his slogan can attest to, Kelvin's policy platform is exclusively in Chinese. Looks like a bit of a Young Conservative though, which is more than enough reason to not vote for him.

Give Hong Kong a Fresh StartTicket number six represents Cyd Ho and Audrey Eu, both rather attractive Chinese ladies of a certain age. 50, it says on the candidate information sheet I received from the government. I haven't received anything from the ladies as yet.