Govt nixes call to help poll hopefuls meet gatekeepers
The government on Wednesday rejected the idea of arranging briefing sessions to enable people hoping to stand in elections to meet those who have the power to nominate them. The suggestion was put forward by lawmaker Michael Tien, who said 200 of the 241 district committee members with nomination powers failed to answer the door when colleagues from his Roundtable party tried to visit them. "In light of this experience, I think briefing sessions should be held before future district council ordinary elections so that there is a face-to-face opportunity for prospective candidates to explain their election agendas to the district committee members," he said. Tien also said some members backtracked on nomination pledges after consulting the heads of district committees, adding that these leaders ought to remain neutral.  In response, Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Secretary Erick Tsang said there are no plans to change the nomination process. He said would-be candidates could get in contact with committee members via the administration if necessary. "We believe that sufficient avenues have been provided to prospective candidates to secure nominations, as such we don't believe an amendment is necessary at this stage," Tsang said. Roundtable only managed to secure enough nominations for one would-be candidate in December's polls. Other political groups such as the Democratic Party and the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood failed to get any of their people through the nomination stage.