DAB set to see younger faces at key time

More young members of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong are joining the election of its executive committee, and they include Ip Yik-nam, son of veteran member Ip Kwok-him.

It is understood that the election nomination period for the committee of Hong Kong's largest political party started last month, and the two-week voting period started early this month.

According to sources, there are 47 incumbents among the 76 candidates running for the 57 seats.

Among new faces this time around are Legislative Council members Steven Ho Chun-yin and Chan Wing-kwong and many of from the younger generation, including the younger Ip.

Ho, who represents the agriculture and fisheries sector, was a member until he decided not to run for reelection in 2021.

He said the political environment was not stable at the time and needed more time to lay foundation work in his sector but can now allocate more time to help with party affairs.

A senior party member said it is "a very rare sight" to see so many people standing in election, as the difference in numbers between available seats and candidates are usually within 10.

"This might show that under the new political system, there is more upward mobility within the pro-establishment camp, therefore many new members or those that are not in the party's core are hoping to have a try," the member said.

Furthermore, as party chairwoman Starry Lee Wai-king is not seeking reelection, vice chairman and executive councilor Gary Chan Hak-kan is the favorite to fill her shoes.

Sources said with reformation within the DAB and wider political transformation, an experienced, calm and steady Gary Chan is the right person to lead the party.

Chan is currently the party whip - making him responsible for organizing on-duty members, setting the party line and also organizing vote-counting duties.

A party member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the work of party whip is complicated.

"The person must be an experienced member of the legislature, good at communicating with party members and other parties as well as have a certain amount of knowledge in every policy area," he added.

Except for Lee and Chan, only Ben Chan Han-pan, Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan and Steven Ho are more experienced in the legislature as all three of them were elected in 2012, he added.