Anthony Wong (黃秋生) continues his attack on the Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild and its Secretary Astrid Chan (陳芷菁) over their refusal to include him in a Guild election on January 13. The meeting was called to select a new President after Eric Tsang (曾志偉) voluntarily stepped down in October 2013. Unable to contain his anger, Anthony took to social media to vent his complaints and did little to conceal the identity of his target. Astrid stood firm and defended her actions, responding to Anthony’s taunts with equally sarcastic pleas. Operating without a leader for the past few months, the Guild finally called for a vote on yesterday. Anthony, who is heavily rumored to be Eric’s successor, arrived at headquarters with the Guild’s constitution in hand, saying he was invited and followed the directions he was told. He brought along several TVB artists as well, all hoping to submit their membership applications in time for the election. Unfortunately Anthony was flatly turned away by Astrid at the door because he is not a current member of the Guild. Since reporters were present, Anthony vented his frustrations publicly, rolling on the floor and pretended to be faint to show his disgust. Because Anthony was being disruptive, the Guild adjourned the meeting without a vote and plans to try again on January 21, giving all parties time to resolve their differences. Attempting to clarify the facts, Astrid took to Weibo afterwards and stated that the Guild has repeatedly informed Anthony about their membership process since December 20, and said that she was simply fulfilling her duties as the Secretary. Addressing Anthony directly, Astrid mocked his tactics yesterday, saying that she has always been a fan of his acting and called his performance “cute”. She also asked him to tone down his personal attacks. “I’m just a little woman, please forgive me. It has been really hard holding down the fort without a leader. I was only requesting applications on behalf of our membership team, why be so hard on us?” Copying her tone, Anthony said, “Secretary Chan please abandon me” and also responded with a question, “How can we become members when we are rejected at the door?” Regarding Astrid’s earlier comment that it takes time to process membership applications, Anthony said heatedly, “[She] needs to check artists’ eligibility? It makes more sense for me to check hers! She hasn’t worked in such a long time, I suspect she’s not even eligible!” Paying no heed to her request, he continued to attack her, calling her illogical and ignorant of her true status. ” We all followed Eric and respected him. I almost forgot who Astrid Chan is!” As for the upcoming election, Anthony said that he was not informed of the new meeting date and quipped that his candidacy will depend on how quickly the Guild can approve his membership request. Slightly calmer, he seems to have given up on the idea of establishing a new artists’ union. Even though he has not officially commented on whether he will continue to run for President, this incident will likely leave a big stain on his record and may skew his previously good chances during the upcoming election. Creds: Oriental Daily
