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May 27, 2005

You are on the invidual archive page of The most expensive election campaign ever. Click Simon World weblog for the main page.
The most expensive election campaign ever

The Don is anxious to start lobbying, says the SCMP, but needs to wait for Beijing to officially accept his resignation before he can begin. In the meantime 2 of his carp have taken ill or died (reports are unclear), a bad omen. The Don is again under pressure from the usual Beijing lackeys to give up his knighthood to demonstrate his patriotism:

Ma Lik, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong, said Mr Tsang, who Queen Elizabeth knighted in 1997, should consider relinquishing the honour so people with strong nationalistic sentiments would not find fault with him.
I didn't realise The Don would be subject to criticism sessions with "strong nationalistic sentiments" elements.

Given there is no doubt The Don will win the election, why is he bothering with this?
It is understood his 7,800 sq ft office occupying two floors is at present manned by about 20 staff, but their numbers are growing. David Li Kwok-po, the banking sector's representative in Legco, will be chairman of the office, while the former deputy chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Norman Chan Tak-lam, will become secretary-general...

The structure of the campaign office will be divided into three branches, with Fanny Wong Lai-kwan - a former assistant director of the Independent Commission Against Corruption and former political editor of the South China Morning Post - playing a key role in the publicity section. Other members of the team of spin doctors include former Information Services Department assistant director Harold Yau Fook-sang and veteran journalist Yau Suk-yi.

An administrative section will be headed by Mr Tsang's close friend, solicitor Lawrence Lam Yin-ming, while the head of the branch to liaise with electors has yet to be named.

Spin doctors? Ex-SCMP reporters? 20 staff? A floor of a Central office? Why? He's campaign in an electorate of only 800 votes. And those voters have the clear message The Don is the candidate to vote for. This could be the most expensive election campaign per voter in history.

It doesn't bode well the man in charge of Hong Kong is prepapred to waste so much money on a fiat accompli.

 posted by Simon on 05.27.05 at 09:31 AM in the




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