Civic Party Gathering of EC Members

Went to a Civic Party gathering of EC members to talk about strategies to facilitate real competition in the upcoming CE elections. The key being the organization of forums for meaningful debate.

Two of the thoughts I think warrant special remark:
How to create public debate with regards to the policy platforms of the CE candidates?
How to equitably compare the experience and abilities between the CE candidates?

Both items I think are important. Margaret Ng, who was also at the meeting remarked that one of the most important aspects of Alan’s campaign, and in fact win-or-lose, is to allow the general public to have a chance to see an alternative and see the stark contrast between the incumbent and a possible future for Hong Kong. I actually agree to a good extent, however, how that could be done, perhaps requires further thought.

I think one initiative that will be meaningful is to ask as many EC members as possible to evaluate the policy platforms of each candidate based on a standard framework. And then have the evaluations published and distributed broadly. This will help the general public understand both the differences and/or similarities between the candidates as well as the inclinations and thoughts of the EC themselves. Most importantly, this provides substance to encourage public debate on the CE elections.

Another item that was discussed is the possible “cooperation” between EC members from different constituencies in joint initiatives under a single banner. I am uncertain about the interest and appropriateness in many different levels, but think that it is probably a good idea to coordinate at least the times for which forums are hosted to avoid clashing.