The former site of several iconic wall trees in Sai Wan has become a battleground for people with opposing views about Sunday’s re-election of the neighbourhood’s incumbent district councillor. Stephen Chan Chit-kwai was previously criticised for failing to save the iconic trees from being cut down.
The posters spotted on Bonham Road on Tuesday originally said “I don’t bloody understand why you still voted Stephen Chan.”
Chan, who has been the district councillor for the University constituency for 24 years, defeated “umbrella soldier” candidate Edward Lau Wai-tak. He received 1,844 votes and Lau received 1,455 votes.
Chan was slammed by residents in August, for failing to save the wall trees from being chopped down by the government.
But on Wednesday, a man was seen covering the words “Don’t” and “Bloody,” making the sentence “I understand why you still voted Stephen Chan.”
He also added a sentence in Chinese that read “Please respect voters’ ballots.”
Also on Wednesday, the section reading “Why you still voted Stephen Chan” disappeared, and became “I understand because you hate trees.”
On Thursday at around midnight, Sai Wan residents found it was modified again as “I don’t understand why you still voted Stephen Chan” where the original part “why you still voted Stephen Chan” reappeared, and a “don’t” was added.
On Thursday morning, further modifications to the posters were found, becoming “I do understand why you still voted Stephen Chan.”
However, new wordings “old people have no respect” and “down with the communists” were also written on the posters in Chinese, supposedly targeting the elderly voters who voted for Stephen Chan.
