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Jeffie Lam

Kinling Lo

Voters in the Election Committee polls found themselves in a quandary on Sunday, being unable to tell whom their chosen candidates would back in the eventual chief executive election.
That was because key potential contenders for the post have yet to make formal bids. Only retired judge Woo Kwok-hing has declared his desire to run for the top job.
Left with no clear answers on their candidates’ voting intentions, voters said they referred to the candidates’ political ideology.
The voting dilemmas of the 230,000 eligible electors was a marked change on five years ago, during the 2011 Election Committee polls. Back then, current Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and his key rival Henry Tang Ying-yen had declared their candidacies months ahead.
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“It is indeed a very tough choice in picking the Election Committee members as I do not know whom most of these aspirants would vote for,” said surveyor Tommy Yip, who cast his vote at Hennessy Road Government Primary School in Wan Chai on Sunday.
First-time election committee voter George Lau echoed that sentiment, saying he found it difficult to vote when only one person had confirmed themselves as contesting the chief executive poll.
“It’s very messy, there is too much speculation and this day Leung [Chun-ying] would say he is not running and the next day [Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor] said she might run for it,” Lau, 35, of the accountancy sector, said.
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A public hospital doctor, who wished to be known only as Dr Lam, decided to vote for a group of doctors from the Doctors for Democracy group, because of their political views.
“The picture of the whole chief executive election is still unclear, and therefore I can only trust these people share the same political ideology as I do, and will choose a candidate I prefer when choices are confirmed,” Lam said.
“I don’t only want to see Leung go, I want to see fairer elections and a more democratic political atmosphere in the future.”
Voters in 25 subsectors of the four key economic and social sectors voted for the 1,194-strong Election Committee that will go on to select the chief executive.
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Even if they did not get to pick their preferred leader directly, voters whom the Post spoke to showed a clear preference for Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah. Many called on the next leader to bring harmony to divided Hong Kong.
Of 20 voters interviewed by the Post at three polling stations, 10 said they preferred Tsang. Seven people supported Lam, while only one backed New People’s Party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who was expected to announce her bid on Thursday.
“Tsang is a gentleman and he would listen to people,” said accountant Wendy Yim, who voted at a Ho Man Tin polling station.
It’s very messy, there is too much speculation
George Lau, Election Committee voter
But some voters wished Tsang would just declare whether he is running or not, and not drop repeated hints followed by nothing.
“I like Lam because her attitude towards those who try to mess up Hong Kong is firm, and I believe she will carry out what she promised and do things that benefit Hong Kong,” primary school teacher Ms Tong, who has been an education sector voter for more than two decades, said.
“I would have considered Tsang, but his attitude is so fluctuating, I can’t guess what he wants now, so it’s difficult to trust him.”
Some voters who supported the “Anyone But CY [Leung]” drive, were wary of Ip, who they feared might adopt a hard line similar to Leung, who will not run.
“Of course I am very happy the [Anyone But CY] mission is completed even before the election, but now I really hope those who backed [that drive] could stop Ip if she really runs for chief executive,” Heidi Siu, a retired primary school teacher, said.


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