政治口號難代深耕 打好選戰須「揼石仔」

<轉載自2018年3月15日 明報 社評>

立法會補選民主派受挫，崖岸自高、不夠團結、看不起地區工作，成為致命傷。社交媒體大行其道，不少非建制派新一代參政者以為，只要穩站道德高地，打好網絡宣傳戰，選票便可手到拿來，有些人甚至對傳統泛民所倚重的地區工作嗤之以鼻，殊不知挨家挨戶面對面接觸市民，才是真正最有效的拉票方法。方國珊在新界東得票躍進一倍，靠的就是地區工作，不斷「揼石仔」。打贏選戰從來沒有捷徑，必須深耕細作，光靠政治口號，長遠難成大事。

貶低地區工作失人心 圍爐取暖陷阱宜提防

民主派在九龍西鎩羽而歸，在港島區僅能險勝，連日來非建制派不同光譜人士都在檢討得失。面對「驕傲」、「離地」等批評，姚松炎和朱凱廸承認選舉策略有不足；香港眾志黃之鋒則表示，今次選舉是一次「寶貴經驗」，明白到跨黨派團結合作的重要，幸有扎根社區的民主派伙伴相助。他還特別提到，目睹民主黨前主席楊森「出山」在建制派票倉拉票，有老街坊上前與楊握手搭膊頭問好，令他「相當震撼」。

選舉工程必須紮實「貼地」，盡力擴大團結面，這本來是很顯淺的道理，也不是什麼尚待探明發現的「新大陸」，然而近年非建制光譜碎片化，不少政壇新人新勢力認為，前人的一套已經「過氣」，貶低「老鬼」經驗，以為拳怕少壯，忘記「薑是老的辣」，直至臨場對陣始知不足。民主派在今次補選受挫，正是一記當頭棒喝。

10年前社交媒體冒起，改變了政治生態，讓從政者有了一條嶄新渠道，以低成本接觸支持者和選民，可是如果以為光靠鍵盤戰士就能打贏選戰，毋須耗費時間精力於地區服務累積支持，顯然大錯特錯。2016年立法會換屆選舉，朱凱廸成為票王，不少非建制派新進認為，經歷了佔領運動，中產選民和年輕人已經覺醒，只要有理想有理念，就能得到市民支持，卻忘記了朱凱廸由協助菜園村居民開始，多年來做了很多扎根社區的工作。今次補選結果更顯示，當年朱凱廸的成功，與其說是榜樣，不如說是異例。

民生無小事，人人都懂說，然而有沒有用心去做，地方居民最清楚。過去傳統泛民既重政治道德高地，亦重地區深耕，聆聽基層市民投訴個案，協助解決民生事宜，小至渠道淤塞，大至興建行人天橋，無不放在心上。可是近年部分非建制派新進，以為主打政治議題，高舉「正義」旗幟，就能贏得市民支持，不用花太多心力在地區「揼石仔」，有人甚至說只做政策議題，不做市民個案，隱然將居民日常生活遇到的困擾，視為不值得「浪費時間」的瑣碎小事，難怪會有人覺得這是看不起小市民。

爭取民主「守護香港」，不能離地空談理論，更不能只重論述不重實務。從政者身處社交媒體時代，很容易被「回聲谷」效應蒙蔽，墮入圍爐取暖陷阱。過去一年，不少非建制派新進經常高談「威權來臨」，有關論述在支持者圈子可謂一呼百應，可是普羅大眾是否有感，卻是另一回事。有志從政的新一代，必須從社交媒體同溫層走出來，紮紮實實多做地區工作，一點一滴累積支持。

地區工作非蛇齋餅糉 崖岸自高心態須調整

放眼西方民主國家，善用社交媒體對於拉票造勢確有幫助，惟效用不能高估。不少外國研究都指出，若要將選票一張一張拉出來，最有效的方法，仍然是挨家挨戶叩門拜訪、面對面親身接觸選民，皆因選民總是希望有人直接聆聽他們的訴求，游離選民更往往需要面談說服，社交媒體很難代替面對面接觸。即使大型如美國總統選舉，民主共和兩黨也一樣重視打「陣地戰」，兩黨都會借助大數據和往績，先鎖定有可能投己方一票的選民，再落區展開精準的地氈式「洗樓」攻勢。

動員選民是一門學問，要做到一票都不能少，徒靠意識形態號召並不足夠，還須長時間用心經營地區網絡。非建制派新一代應該借鑑「老鬼」經驗，既重政治理念，亦重地區工作。當然，從事地區工作，難免受制於資源多寡，惟最重要是有心。今次立法會補選，第5次出征的方國珊在新界東取得近6.5萬票，靠的就是多年來「揼石仔」。地區工作並不等於蛇齋餅糉，中產社區一樣有訴求，方國珊便提到，過往曾協助沙田第一城居民跟進爆水管個案，市民得到切實幫助，自然樂意支持。

本港立法會選舉奉行比例代表制，個別政黨或候選人單靠社交媒體「圍爐取暖」，也許仍有機會爭得一席，然而若要擴大群眾基礎，不想停滯不前，就必須多做地區工作、多接觸普羅市民，絕不能有崖岸自高之心，更不能自以為是看輕同路人。部分新一代從政者忽略地區工作，甚至不屑同路人地區深耕，錯誤心態必須調整。

egwork at community level remains crucial in elections

THE PRO-DEMOCRACY CAMP has suffered a setback in the Legislative Council by-election. Their arrogance, lack in unity, and failure to recognise the importance of service for the community have proved to be their undoing. At a time of the dominance of social media, many new-generation politicians of the non-establishment camp think that so long as they keep the moral high ground and do a good job of fighting the propaganda war on the internet, the votes will be theirs to lose. Some of them even scoff at service for the community which traditional pan-democrats emphasise. They do not realise that reaching out to the citizens by going from door to door and talking to them face to face is in fact the most effective way to canvass for votes.

The rise of social media a decade ago has changed the political ecology by providing politicians with a new means to reach out to their supporters and voters at a low cost. However, it is obviously a big mistake to think that an election can be won by relying only on keyboard warriors or that it is not necessary to spend time and effort to provide service for the community to garner support.

"Nothing is trivial that concerns people's livelihood" is on everyone's lips. However, residents at the community level are the ones who know best whether anyone is serving the community with their heart and soul. In the past, politicians in the traditional pan-democratic camp not only attached importance to keeping the political high ground but also emphasised thoroughgoing and painstaking work at the community level. They attended to grievances of grassroots citizens and helped them tackle livelihood issues from trivial matters such as drainage blockage to serious ones such as the construction of footbridges.They kept their minds on those issues. However, in recent years, some up-and-coming politicians of the non-establishment camp have come to think that so long as they focus on political issues and hold aloft the flag of "justice", they can win the support of the citizens. They believe that there is no need for the mundane legwork at the community level. Some even say that they will focus only on policy issues and will not deal with ordinary citizens' personal cases one by one. They seem to imply that problems faced by people in their daily lives are so trivial that they should not waste their time on them. No wonder some people think that they look down on ordinary citizens.

When fighting for democracy to "safeguard Hong Kong", one must not engage only in armchair theorising or let political discourse take priority over practice. In the era of social media, politicians can easily be deceived by the effect of the "echo chamber", surrounded by people of similar views and failing to reach out to others.

In western democratic countries, making good use of social media does help canvass votes and boost campaigns, but the impact should not be overestimated. A lot of research abroad shows that the most effective way to get out the vote is to go from house to house, visit the voters and talk to them face to face because voters always want someone to listen to their grievances directly. Undecided voters often have to be persuaded face to face as well. It is very difficult for social media to replace face-to-face contact.

The proportional representation system is used in Hong Kong's Legislative Council elections. To individual political parties or candidates, the echo chamber effect of social media might indeed work and enable them to win a seat. However, if anyone wants to broaden his base instead of clinging to their existing one, they must do more at the community level and reach out more to ordinary citizens. They should not be self-satisfied or look down on their fellow politicians. Some new-generation politicians ignore community-level work and even disdain the thoroughgoing and painstaking work at the community level of fellow politicians. Such a wrong mentality must be changed.

政治口號難代深耕 打好選戰須「揼石仔」

立法會補選民主派受挫，崖岸自高、不夠團結、看不起地區工作，成為致命傷。社交媒體大行其道，不少非建制派新一代參政者以為，只要穩站道德高地，打好網絡宣傳戰，選票便可手到拿來，有些人甚至對傳統泛民所倚重的地區工作嗤之以鼻，殊不知挨家挨戶面對面接觸市民，才是真正最有效的拉票方法。

10年前社交媒體冒起，改變了政治生態，讓從政者有了一條嶄新渠道，以低成本接觸支持者和選民，可是如果以為光靠鍵盤戰士就能打贏選戰，毋須耗費時間精力於地區服務累積支持，顯然大錯特錯。

民生無小事，人人都懂說，然而有沒有用心去做，地方居民最清楚。過去傳統泛民既重政治道德高地，亦重地區深耕，聆聽基層市民投訴個案，協助解決民生事宜，小至渠道淤塞，大至興建行人天橋，無不放在心上。可是近年部分非建制派新進，以為主打政治議題，高舉「正義」旗幟，就能贏得市民支持，不用花太多心力在地區「揼石仔」，有人甚至說只做政策議題，不做市民個案，隱然將居民日常生活遇到的困擾，視為不值得「浪費時間」的瑣碎小事，難怪會有人覺得這是看不起小市民。

爭取民主「守護香港」，不能離地空談理論，更不能只重論述不重實務。從政者身處社交媒體時代，很容易被「回聲谷」效應蒙蔽，墮入圍爐取暖陷阱。

放眼西方民主國家，善用社交媒體對於拉票造勢確有幫助，惟效用不能高估。不少外國研究都指出，若要將選票一張一張拉出來，最有效的方法，仍然是挨家挨戶叩門拜訪、面對面親身接觸選民，皆因選民總是希望有人直接聆聽他們的訴求，游離選民更往往需要面談說服，社交媒體很難代替面對面接觸。

本港立法會選舉奉行比例代表制，個別政黨或候選人單靠社交媒體「圍爐取暖」，也許仍有機會爭得一席，然而若要擴大群眾基礎，不想停滯不前，就必須多做地區工作、多接觸普羅市民，絕不能有崖岸自高之心，更不能自以為是看輕同路人。部分新一代從政者忽略地區工作，甚至不屑同路人地區深耕，錯誤心態必須調整。