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DAB "NO REGRETS" FOR ITS SUPPORT FOR CY LEUNG The party brushes aside murmurs that voters didn't like the move and will desert it in the September Legco elections

The Young Reporter (2012, May), 44(07), pp. 8.
記者: Vivian Li. 編輯: Sai Aung Thein.
永久網址 - https://sys01.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/bujspa/purl.php?&did=bujspa0010485

Even though Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) leaders say they won’t lose votes in September’s Legislative Election as a reaction to their Election Committee members' votes for Leung Chun-ying in the chief executive race, academics think this might have some influence on their supporters' voting decision.

As the popularity of Mr Leung was still very low, it could have some impact on voting choices of citizens, said Mr Ming Sing, an associate professor of Social Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

According to the press release of popularity figures of CE-elect C. Y. Leung conducted by the Public Opinion Programme of the University of Hong Kong, Mr Leung's net popularity changed significantly from negative 13 to positive 1 percentage point. But his support as CE rate is still under 50% of people surveyed.

Mr Sing said that the DAB had to try hard to raise the popularity of the new chief executive so that they would get more votes in the coming election. The party should try to provide Mr Leung with some practical suggestions such as political reforms to satisfy Hong Kong citizens' need, he suggested, saying he saw Mr Leung and DAB as partners.

But Mr Chan Hak-kan, a lawmaker from DAB, the biggest party in Hong Kong which holds 13 seats out of 60 in LegCo, said he saw no connection between voting for Mr Leung and losing votes from their supporters. “I can't see any connection. That means no worry about that,” said Mr Chan, adding that they voted for Mr Leung because they had similar political ideas and programmes.

According to Mr Chan, the DAB organised a New Chief Executive Workshop in which they consulted different sectors and submitted suggestions to the then candidates Mr Leung and Mr Henry Tang Ying-yen before deciding to vote for Mr Leung. “It was a unanimous decision by the senior committee,” he said.

How DAB voting for Mr Leung will decide for them to get more votes or less in LegCo Election will mainly depend on their supporters or voters.

“I keep a conservative standpoint that it is hard to change the supporters' mind,” said Dr. Wai Kwok-wong, assistant professor of the Government and International Studies Department at Hong Kong Baptist University. He added that whether the supporters of DAB would change side easily and vote for lawmakers from political parties was still unknown.

Dr. Wong said the confidence of the DAB came from its excellent district services. Mr Sing said that DAB could serve the communities better than other parties because of capital support and sponsorship from the Chinese Communist Party.

But they still have disadvantages, according to Dr. Wong. Even though DAB had their advantages which could keep their supporters to vote for them they still lack energy and talent in coming up with good political suggestions during the essential period, he said.

To get more votes in the coming election, the DAB should keep striving with their district services as most of their voters were elderly people, Wenhui Po's readers and lower classes, Dr. Wong said, but cautioning that it was still early to predict.

STORY / VIVIAN LI

EDITED BY / SAI AUNG THEIN

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