Sik Wu!
The four winds blow, and the tiles align. With your ducks sitting in such a spectacular row, what do you have to lose? When I read over the weekend that Albert Ho, the head of the Hong Kong Democratic Party, had been huddling tete-a-tete with Anson Chan, I sensed a new breeze stirring. When I heard that Kam Nai-wai, the Democrats' 冇希望 without-a-prayer candidate, dropped out of the race yesterday, I knew the deal was sealed. Sik wu! Anson Chan will run for Legco in the Hong Kong island district special election.
Like I told you, I'm really bad at mah jong. It's the beginner's fatal flaw to get distracted by the alluring surfaces of the play--the beautiful patterns, the satisfying feel of the square cubes as you "wash" them under the palms of your hands. But I should have been paying closer attention to this crucial fact: the most coveted legislative council seat in Hong Kong has a sell-by date of September 2008. Whoever gets elected will just be sitting out the rest of the late Ma Lik's current term, a total of 9 months (and, effectively, the job ends after only about 6 months of actual Legco sessions). So running for the seat does not involve a commitment to years of public service. And, especially for the player who lays her tiles down first, there's not a lot of risk involved, really.
My friend David, who lives on Caine Road and so has a vested interest in this election (it's his district), has this analysis of Ms. Chan's strategy: "Anson gets to test the waters and see if she still has popular support. If she gets a lot of votes in the by-election, then she knows she could run again and win in the regular Legco election next year. And if she wins the seat, she could still make a graceful exit from politics at the end of the Legco term in 2008. All her options are open."
Really, she's got a heavenly hand. And so, in this game Anson Chan eats first. But if you are eager to see a December 2 death match of the helmet-haired ones, I wouldn't count on it. As Hemlock rightly points out, Hong Kong island district is the most pro-Democracy redoubt in the city. Who on Hong Kong island is going to vote for a Beijing-approved candidate besides some Fukienese holdouts in Chai Wan and the odd Chiu Chow businessman in Western District? If Regina Ip sizes up the situation and figures the best she can do is play for a chicken hand, she may well decide to take her tiles home and wait for 2008.
In which case, there will be some different players at the table. (If Long Hair and Wong Yuk-man are as grumpy as I suspect they'll be about the latest developments, it's a good bet there will be a third party candidate from the LSD). In the meantime, while I'm packing my bags to return to my home in the district at the center of Hong Kong's latest political typhoon, I'll be keeping an eye on the guy I think would best represent the interests of me and my neighbors (as opposed to the best candidate to stir up a temporary media frenzy). That is to say, my favorite doctor.
Hello My friend,
I heard Anson Chan's announcement over RTHK's Live Radio. I think she made a right and good move here. I will be shocked if she doesn't win.
Now, it is wonderful to see you are getting into some Mahjong but I have to say your use of "Sik Wu" is quite unconventional here.
Have a good day.
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Hi Kempton how are you?! I'm counting on you to teach me some of your mahjong moves the next time we meet.
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Have you read Leih Baat Fong's column in the Apple Daily of September 12? If not, then click on "昔日" on Apple daily's website to get the September 12 paper and check out the first article of Mr. Leih and note the picture included there. Is there any difference between it and the one newly included under yauh cheui dik syu in your blog?
By the way, here is another good RTHK's TV programme aired today that I would like to recommend to you.
It's called "On Hong Kong" in which Professor LUNG Ying Tai(龍 應 台)expressed her views as to where Hong Kong should be heading for. She speaks Mandarin, but English subtitles are provided.
http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/tv/onhongkong/20070913.html
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Since I am still in the US, I can't access the whole Apple Daily website. Which book are you talking about? I have added several new ones that I am now reading:
two by Eileen Chang--Lust, Caution, and Written on Water, a book of her essays
one edited by Mike Davis, the Marxist sociologist, called "Evil Paradises: Dreamworlds of Neo-Liberalism". It has an article about property developments in HK, and articles about crony capitalism and property development in cities around the world
one book co-written by me--my summer project--called "Living In China". It's a book of contemporary Chinese interior architecture and design which will be out in December.
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I meant Lust, Caution.
I don't know if this link works or not. Just try it.
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No, it doesn't work. You can't access all the Apple Daily articles from overseas.
Lust, Caution would be the same book, though. It has been translated and reprinted in a special edition to coincide with the release of Ang Lee's film.
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