The Labour Party chairman said the public has had enough of what he describes as the chief executive's lies and of being ruled since 1997 by Beijing and businessmen with vested interests.

So it is time to take to the streets to demand full democracy, he argued yesterday on RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong.

Lee also said the Legislative Council will on January 9 debate a Leung impeachment motion initiated by pan-democrats.

The Civil Human Rights Front, organizer of the New Year's Day march, expects more than 50,000 to join the push for Leung to step down.

Front deputy chairwoman Daisy Chan Sin-ying also spoke out, saying at the City Forum that different opinions do not mean a division in society.

But since the political system in Hong Kong is unfair, she said, "different opinions cannot be expressed properly, and some policies are not being carried out according to public opinion."

Chan went on to say that the march organizer has never paid people to join, with participation being voluntary.

A target of that barb was also at the forum in the shape of the convener of the pro- administration Voice of Loving Hong Kong, Ko Tat-bun. His group is backing Leung efforts to improve the economy and people's lives, he said, but it has wrongly been held to be on a mission to split society.

"Since the handover in 1997, there are more people challenging the government," Ko said. But his organization, he added, is not supported by Beijing's liaison office or any other mainland entity, and denied anyone is paid to join the effort.

Elsewhere, the convener of the League in Defense of Hong Kong's Freedom, Ho Chi-kwan, said her group will march but will stay behind at the government's Tamar headquarters until 10pm.

If people want to stay longer, Ho added, the league will be with them.

She also asked marchers to take pictures or videos of police if officers tried to remove booths set up by groups along the route.