The central committee of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) last night accepted Tsang Yok-sing's resignation as party chairman with immediate effect.

A new chairman will be elected on December 9 when the 15-member standing committee holds a meeting.

"Though reluctant to let him go, we respect his decision," vice-chairman Tam Yiu-chung told a press conference after a 90-minute meeting of the committee, which unanimously voted on accepting the resignation.

All the members of the committee expressed heart-felt thanks for his work for the party since its founding in 1992.

Tsang remains a standing committee member and will continue to take part in party affairs. The three vice-chairmen will take charge of the party during the period before a new chairman is selected, Tam said.

Tsang announced his plan to quit the day after DAB's defeat in the District Council elections on November 23. The party won only 62 seats from its 206 candidates, down 21 seats from the previous election. Its success rate was also the lowest among major political parties.

Stating it was the right decision, Tsang said last night that his resignation would not solve all problems facing the party.

"I very much regret the election setback. I feel I have to shoulder responsibility for such a (poor) result," he said.

He said he still believes that the party's political platform serves the overall interests of Hong Kong people.

Asked if the media had twisted his words during the past months, which is believed to have caused "a negative impression" of his party, Tsang said that "the news reports were basically accurate and I would not blame the media". Tsang, who is still a member of the Executive Council, said he would decide whether to stay on after discussions with party colleagues.

(China Daily HK Edition December 3, 2003)