> With critics aplenty, Hong Kong chooses new legislature
>
> Sunday
> September 10, 2000
> Web posted at: 4:02 p.m. HKT (0802 GMT)
>
> HONG KONG (AP) -- Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa wasn't even on the ballot
> Sunday. But the unpopular Hong Kong leader came under harsh attack as
> citizens and special interests voted for a legislature where critics say
> pro-Beijing forces and big businesses will hold too much power.
>
> "It's certainly undemocratic and unfair," said Martin Lee, the head of the
> Democratic Party and a prominent opponent of Tung and the Hong Kong
> political system that gives some voters much more influence than others.
>
> "Hong Kong people need a stronger voice," Lee said.
>
> Analysts say a recent scandal involving charges that an academic was
> pressured to stop polling Tung's plunging popularity has only served to
> aggravate dissatisfaction among ordinary voters -- who only have a say on
> 24 of the 60 legislative seats.
>
> Lee and other opposition figures will use whatever minority of seats they
> gain in the Legislative Council -- which has little power anyway -- to
> clamor for more democracy and to intensify their attacks on Tung.
>
> Tung declined to take questions when he went out under clear skies to vote
> in a Hong Kong park, where a small group of protesters led by longshot
> candidate Leung Kwok-hung were chanting "Down with Tung."
>
> One Leung supporter, Lui Yuk-lin, sat on the steps of the polling place
> and began screaming anti-Tung slogans, setting off a minor scuffle as
> police moved her back.
>
> "I want to make it known to Hong Kong, China and the rest of the world
> this is not a democratic election, and we're appealing for Tung to step
> down," Leung said. Leung and many voters grumbled about what they call
> collusion between Hong Kong's government and business interests.
>
> Tung merely encouraged Hong Kong's 3.05 million eligible voters to do
> their civic duty in the second legislative election since the territory
> reverted from British to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997.
>
> Half of the legislative seats are chosen by special interest groups such
> as businesses, lawyers and doctors -- giving those voters much more clout
> than ordinary citizens. Six seats are chosen by a committee.
>
> Critics say the cumbersome system is designed to ensure the legislature
> will be dominated by pro-Beijing forces and business interests.
>
> "I hope our society won't be monopolized by these big businesses," said
> voter Lo King-bong, a 26-year-old courier.
>
> Hong Kong's economy is showing double-digit growth, but many citizens feel
> like they are being left behind.
>
> Outside polling places, numerous voters were quick to point fingers at
> Tung and his government.
>
> "They're useless," said Chan Wai-hung, a 34-year-old electrician. "They
> have failed to look after people's welfare and the economy."
>
> "They are chaotic. They have no long-term goals," groused Li Lai-chen, a
> 49-year-old housewife.
>
> The polling places were to stay open until 10:30 p.m. local time. Final
> results were expected sometime Monday morning.
>
> Tung was not on any ballots Sunday. The chief executive post will be
> filled in 2002 by an 800-strong committee and Tung has not said whether he
> will seek another term. But Tung's unpopularity has hung over the election
> even as concerns about mainland China's control over Hong Kong have faded
> in the minds of many citizens.
>
> Among Hong Kong people who planned to vote, 62 percent are dissatisfied
> with Tung's performance -- a new low point for the former shipping tycoon,
> according to a survey released this week by the Hong Kong Transition
> Project 2000. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage
> points.
>
> In the days before the election, Tung's administration suffered a major
> embarrassment when an investigative panel at the University of Hong Kong
> looked into charges that a political pollster was pressured to stop taking
> surveys of Tung's low popularity.
>
> The investigators found that two academics had warned pollster Robert
> Chung after a top Tung aide raised questions about the surveys. In a
> surprisingly harsh assessment, the panel found the Tung aide, Andrew Lo,
> to have been a "poor and untruthful witness."
>
> Tung has defended Lo and opposition politicians are demanding the next
> legislature launch a more thorough inquiry into whether the pressure on
> Chung originated from within Tung's administration.
>
> Among the campaign's mudslinging, another blow came when the major
> pro-Beijing political party seen as being aligned with Tung's government
> -- the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong -- was
> confronted by a newspaper report that its vice chairman had leaked
> confidential government documents to a client of his public relations
> firm.
>
> Gary Cheng quit his party post but he remained on Sunday's ballot atop a
> slate of DAB candidates