補選...

From Oriental Daily.

港島補選泛民未協調先爭拗

【本報訊】民主派為爭逐因馬力病逝而騰空的立法會港島議席，將協調派人參與港島補選，但未進行協調已出現分歧，民主黨甘乃威建議泛民，決定派出誰人參選，應五成看民調，五成看黨派及地區人士的取向，而何秀蘭則即時反彈，指她所屬的公民起動並非政黨，有關建議對她不公平。

親中陣營以外有意參加港島補選的人愈來愈多，除何秀蘭率先表態參選，社民連表明必「參與其中」外，有傳曾參加港島直選的金融時事評論員孫柏文亦有意加入混戰。民主黨方面，由於有兩名黨員甘乃威及馮煒光均希望參加港島補選，昨晚召開中常委擴大會議，通過考慮支部、中委及會員大會三方面意見，決定人選，望九月上旬完成後再根據民調與工作表現，與其他有意參與人士協調。

甘乃威何秀蘭先禮後兵

同是中西區區議員的甘乃威及何秀蘭，昨日同場出席一個公開活動時握手「示好」，先禮後兵。

甘乃威表示，泛民協調由誰人參加補選，除看反映候選人支持度的民調結果外，也要看地區人士與不同黨派的取態，兩者的比例應作五五之比。

其後，記者問何秀蘭是否支持有關建議，她即反對，指民調計分須綜合多個樣本計算。

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From The Sun.

港島補選民主派現分歧

【本報訊】民主派為爭逐因馬力病逝而騰空的立法會港島議席，將協調派人參與港島補選，但未進行協調已出現分歧，民主黨甘乃威建議泛民，決定派出誰人參選， 應五成看民調，五成看黨派及地區人士的取向，而何秀蘭則即時反彈，指她所屬的公民起動並非政黨，有關建議對她不公平。除何秀蘭、社民連表明參選外，傳曾參 加港島直選的金融時事評論員孫柏文亦有意加入。

馬力港島區議席的補選

This is from Today's SCMP by a good and fair man Ambrose Leung...I will address this by-election in a few hours time.

About my 2000 election walloping... I was 23. Who hasn't been young before?
= )

Anyhow, I do seek your advice. All of you. Please help me marshal my thoughts.

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Pan-democrats fear free-market candidate could split their vote

The possible entry of a radical free-market advocate in a Legislative Council by-election for Hong Kong Island could take votes from the pan-democrats, who hope to jointly field a candidate to oppose their Beijing-loyalist rivals.

Sources in the pan-democratic camp said Andrew Shuen Pak-man, a financial columnist and a founder of the Lion Rock Institute think-tank, was planning to contest the seat left vacant by Ma Lik, the former chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, who died last week after suffering from colon cancer.

Mr Shuen said yesterday he would not rule out standing.

He claimed that if any free-market democrat joined the race, they would take more votes from former security chief Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, the expected candidate of the Beijing loyalists, rather than pan-democrat Cyd Ho Sau-lan.

There is no voice in Legco in support of a truly free-market democracy, and the eight months in office for the winner can be a probationary period to see whether the public wants such a voice, Mr Shuen said.

But pan-democrats were concerned that a maverick candidate might split their vote, handing a victory to the pro-Beijing camp.

Shuen might take up a critical share of our votes and present the seat to Regina Ip, a pan-democrat campaigner said.

Lee Wing-tat, of the Democratic Party, said other candidates were unavoidable, while Ronny Tong Ka-wah of the Civic Party hoped a free-market advocate would not affect the game plan.

Mr Shuen suffered a humiliating defeat when he contested the Legco election for Hong Kong Island in 2000, receiving only 1,132 votes or 0.43 per cent of ballots cast.

Mr Shuen's Lion Rock group has been a fierce critic of social welfare and high taxation and opposed state intervention in labour disputes.

The picture of me that SCMP selected.