Youngspiration and Hong Kong Indigenous have planned for the whimsy of Electoral Affairs Commission edicts. Plan B is a go as Baggio Leung tops the list in New Territories East.
Baggio ‘Sixtus’ Leung Chung-hang (梁頌恆), inspiration of Youngspiration, has the thumbs up to run in the New Territories East.
Hong Kong Indigenous’ Edward Leung Tin-kei (梁天琦), a massive vote winner in the February by-election has been denied to the voters in New Territories East by the Electoral Affairs Commission via the Registration and Electoral Office and Returning Officer Cora Ho Lai-sheung (何麗嫦).
Now Baggio Leung will square off against the philosopher-king of localism, Horace Chin Wan-kan (陳云根), aka Chin Wan (陳雲) of the Civic Passion-Hong Kong Resurgence Order-Proletariat Political Institute alliance headliners.
A convoluted road
It wasn’t meant to be this way. Baggio Leung originally planned to run on Hong Kong Island, but decided to join Kenny Wong Chun-kit’s (黃俊傑) bid in New Territories West as the third-ranked candidate in Wong’s list. Presumably Baggion Leung’s name recognition would help Mr Wong’s ticket to attract votes.
According to Baggio Leung, the two signature localist groups came up with a joint election list a week before the nomination period ended. Their plan B saw them propose a list headed by Baggio Leung followed by former Hong Kong Indigenous member Li Tung-sing (李東昇).
“The original idea was to secure [Edward Leung] Tin-kei’s candidacy by increasing the political costs of banning both lists for the Electoral Affairs Commission, while lowering the effectiveness of disqualifying him alone,” he explains. In other words, it was meant to show to the election watchdog the futility of banning Edward Leung from the election.
Planning for all contingencies, the final result is the Youngspiration and Hong Kong Indigenous’ ‘Plan B’. Edward Leung will move to help coordinate election efforts in New Territories East, New Territories West, and Kowloon West where Youngspiration is running.
Commenting on the coalition, Baggio Leung says there are many similarities among the two groups, particularly on some general concepts concerning Hong Kong nationalism and self-determination. “When we joined the ‘All-IN-6’ campaign during the New Territories East Legco by-election in February, we were not only backing [Leung] Tin-kei [whose candidate number was Six] but also his platform,” he notes.
Baggio Leung hopes that voters won’t be voting for him out of sympathy, but out of a sense of crisis in face of an executive branch exceeding its authority to bar candidates from running through the mechanism of the EAC. Meanwhile, he stresses some subtle differences that differentiate his camp from the rival localist bloc represented by Chin.
“I’d describe Chin’s advocacy of a de facto referendum, a universal constitutional reform and a permanent continuation of the Basic Law as a variation of ‘One Country, Two Systems’, which are essentially different from our nationality-centred ideology,” Baggio Leung explains. “Localist supporters will make their own choice.”
Also heading the lists in New Territories East are Eunice Yung Hoi-yan (容海恩), Christine Fong Kwok-shan (方國珊), Dominic Lee Tsz-king (李梓敬), Elizabeth Quat (葛珮帆), Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung (張超雄), Gary Fan Kwok-wai (范國威), Chan Hak-kan (陳克勤), Hau Chi-keung (侯志強), Tang Ka-piu (鄧家彪), Lam Cheuk-ting (林卓廷), Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu (楊岳橋), Leung Kwok-hung (梁國雄), Raymond Chan Chi-chuen (陳志全), Raymond Mak Ka-chun (麥嘉晉), Leticia Lee See-yin (李偲嫣), Liu Ting-shing (廖添誠), Estella Chan Yuk-ngor (陳玉娥), Wong Sum-yu (黃琛喻), Andrew Cheng Kar-foo (鄭家富) and Clarence Ronald Leung Kam-shing (梁金成).
