DAB’s Cheung gets ready for LegCo election

Candidate says he has responsibility for both the party and the pro-establishment camp

Horace Cheung Kwokkwan, vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), is working hard in preparation for the Legislative Council election on Sept 4.

He has put aside his duties as a lawyer to focus on the campaign. Since signing up for the contest in Hong Kong Island constituency, he goes around his constituency to meet residents three times — morning, afternoon and evening — each day to familiarize people with his election platform.

Leading an election ticket for the first time, Cheung knows he has a big responsibility. He has to win not only for the party but also for the pro-establishment camp.

This time, the number of seats to be returned for the Hong Kong Island constituency is reduced to six, one less than that in 2012. The DAB adopts a safe, conservative strategy by sending only one team to run in the election.

The pro-establishment camp will deploy three teams and aim at three seats only.

“If our camp is too aggressive and hopes to take four seats, we might end up getting merely one or two seats,” he said.

“If I lose, the DAB will have no LegCo seats on Hong Kong Island and that might as well be the end of my political career,” added Cheung.

He is not too pessimistic because a single DAB ticket won two seats on Hong Kong Island twice before, and they almost made it again in 2008.

Cheung is a Central and Western District Council member. Since he does not know Eastern District very well, he goes there more often to meet residents.

He extended his gratitude to party colleague and incumbent lawmaker Christopher Chung Shu-kun for being willing to stay second of his ticket and help him to learn more about Eastern District.

During the campaign, Cheung will focus on presenting his views to the people. He will also inform voters about those who were involved in the illegal occupation movement and destructive filibusters in LegCo.

As a father of two daughters, Cheung is very interested in education, noting that there are many middle class people living on Hong Kong Island.

“We want to give more variety and enjoyment to education, while schools and parents shall have the upper hand to run the schools.

“As to the Territory-wide System Assessment, it is a useful tool to evaluate teaching methods, but schools should not over-drill pupils,” Cheung said.

“There is no lawyer in the caucus of the DAB. If elected, I will work more on the scrutiny of bills and rules of procedure with a view to closing the loopholes and preventing abuses (in LegCo),” he commented on the frequent filibusters at the legislature.

Other candidates who will run in the Hong Kong Island constituency include: Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, Kwok Wai-keung, Hui Chi-fung, Paul Zimmerman, Ricky Wong Wai-kay, Tanya Chan Suk-chong, Shum Chee-chiu, Gary Wong Chi-him, Law Kwun-chung, Cheng Kammun, Christopher Lau Garhung and Cyd Ho Sau-lan.

A busy shopping mall in Guangzhou has been criticized for having a polar bear on display to attract visitors to the Guangdong provincial capital.

The 4-year-old female, which is being kept at the Grandview Plaza aquarium in a 40-squaremeter glass enclosure that has a small pool, has been described as the saddest bear in the world by some media reports.

Some residents have complained that the bear is being maltreated, as it is being displayed in such a small area.

Chen Wenzhou, a white-collar worker in Guangzhou, said: “The bear should live in a world of ice and snow at the North Pole. How can she live in Guangzhou where the temperature has reached more than 36 C outside?

“She appears restless and anxious because she is living in such a small area and has to face a large number of visitors each day,” Chen said.

A 7-year-old girl, surnamed Huang, said she likes the bear, describing it as cute. “But I hope health checks, the aquarium ensures the bear has quality and suitable food every month. Li also said the aquarium has been authorized by government departments to care for the animal.

Sun Quanhui, a senior Chinese scientific consultant with World Animal Protection, said keeping a bear in such a busy shopping mall and it being viewed by large crowds would affect the animal’s psychological condition.

“The best way to protect such animals is to release them back into the wild,” Sun added.

Zhang Xiaohai, executive secretary-general of the Beijing Loving Animals Foundation, said, “We should not prevent animals from developing their natural instincts when we raise them.”

In addition to clean food and water, a suitable living environment is needed, Zhang added.

Located in Guangzhou’s Tianhe district, Grandview Plaza covers 57,000 square meters.