All Around Town: Middle-aged Wu guns for young party boss, Jimmy Lai gets no thanks

Middle-aged Wu guns for youngster Lo as party chairman

In the wake of the district council elections, the talk in political circles is still about letting the young ones take the lead. And for the Democratic Party’s Wu Chi-wai, a young leader means someone in his 30s – not him. Wu, who ran for the party’s leadership last year, told the media that he would not make another bid next year. Tipped as someone who has the potential to take over from incumbent Emily Lau Wai-hing, Wu, 53, a founding member of the party who was elected to Legco in 2012, said although he was regarded as a “middle-aged” representative, the party needed someone younger – someone like vice-chairman Lo Kin-hei, 31. “Lo has done a good job in balancing different voices in the party. He can keep conservatives and progressives happy rather than letting them fall out,” Wu said. “If he runs for the chairmanship, I’ll be happy to stand by him as his deputy.” Joyce Ng

No thanks from party for a million-dollar donation

While a Legislative Council inquiry ruled that pan-democrats “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung and Lee Cheuk-yan were not guilty for failing to declare HK$2 million in donations they received from media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, a report showed the interesting dynamics between the Apple Daily founder and pan-democrat heavyweights. According to the transcript of a hearing, Lai told the inquiry committee that he raised his donation amount for the Labour Party from HK$500,000 to HK$1 million last year after the party got members elected to the Legislative Council. His answer surprised even fellow pan-democrat Emily Lau Wai-hing, who chairs the Democratic Party and sat on the committee. “Brilliant, Mr Lai. You raised the amount and they never communicated with you and thanked you?” Lai replied: “They never said thanks to me.” It was his assistant Mark Simon who dealt with the Labour folks and not him, he added. Joyce Ng

Taking the rubbish to the government’s front door

Officials from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department probably had a big and unpleasant surprise as they went to work today. They saw rubbish piled up in front of their office in Sheung Wan. Democratic Party district councillor Ted Hui Chi-fung and party colleague and incoming councillor Ng Siu-hong cleaned up rubbish in their constituency and dropped it in front of the department office in protest.The duo complained that the serious garbage problem in the Mid-Levels bar area had created problems for residents for a long time, yet the government had failed to take any action or prosecuted the pubs. “The garbage we brought here today was from outside residents’ doors. We want the department to experience what the residents have gone through.” Jeffie Lam