I was delighted to hear former Chief Secretary (HK’s second-ranking official) Anson Chan announcing (late Monday night MST over unfiltered live RTHK broadcast) her decision to stand for a by-election to try to get a seat in the Hong Kong Legislative Council. I think it will help advance the cause of democratic movement in Hong Kong.
Here is an excerpt form the WSJ, (emphasis mine)
One of Hong Kong’s most popular, if divisive, political figures, Mrs. Chan has vowed to use her candidacy to advocate direct elections in this Chinese territory, which has a separate political system from the rest of China but lacks direct voting for its lawmakers and chief executive. Half of Hong Kong’s lawmakers are selected through professional and special-interest groups, many of whose interests are aligned with mainland China’s. Mrs. Chan, 67 years old, retired from a 39-year civil-service career in 2001 and re-emerged in recent years as a democracy advocate.
She spoke carefully at the briefing, saying Beijing would have nothing to fear from her candidacy. “I’m not interested in making the central authorities a target of criticism,” she said. “I want to create a relationship of mutual trust.“
My friend Daisann has an interesting post here. See also news from IHT, Bloomberg, and The Standard.
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