Hong Kong Chief Executive (CE) Donald Tsang said Wednesday Hong
Kong is at a crossroads in democratic development.
"If Legislative Council (LegCo) passes the constitutional
development package, Hong Kong will take a big step towards our
goal of universal suffrage," he said.
Tsang made the remarks while making a televised speech calling
for support of the Fifth Report of the Constitutional Development
Task Force.
With the success gained, he said, there is a greater chance to
reach a consensus on how to achieve universal suffrage.
However, if the package is voted out by LegCo later this month,
constitutional development in the areas of 2007 Chief Executive
selections and? LegoCo formation in 2008 would grind to a
halt.?
He noted, "If this happens, how can we realistically expect to
reach a consensus on proposals for the CE and LegCo elections in
2012 and secure the necessary support from two-thirds of the
legislators? Would rejecting our reform package bring us closer to
our goal, or make it more distant? "
Tsang said that various opinion polls indicate that most Hong
Kong people support the proposals. More important, the majority of
Hong Kong people feel that the electoral arrangements for 2007 and
2008 should be handled separately from the issue of a timetable for
universal suffrage.
He said that this underlines the pragmatism of Hong Kong people,
who believe that constitutional development should not be hamstrung
by the debate over a timetable for universal suffrage.
Tsang emphasized, "They think we should pass the constitutional
development package first so that we can move towards universal
suffrage from 2007 and 2008."
He said that the first step would be for the LegCo to pass their
proposals.
As for the next step relating to a roadmap and timetable, he
pledged to discuss the matters in the Commission on Strategic
Development and other channels as soon as possible. "Hong Kong
cannot rush the matter and will not be playing for time either," he
noted.
He said: "We are one step away from advancing democracy in Hong
Kong. I will do my utmost to secure legislators' support for our
package."
Tsang said: "I fully support the move towards universal suffrage
in accordance with the Basic Law, and there is also consensus among
legislators to move towards that goal. There is no practical
difference between us."
He said that the only difference is whether a timetable for
universal suffrage should be linked to the proposals for the 2007
and 2008 elections, and hopes that all legislators will cast their
votes sensibly with full regard to the overall interests and wishes
of Hong Kong people.
He said: "To promote democratic development is the common wish
of the SAR Government and the Hong Kong people. It is also the
established policy of the Central Government."
He called on people of Hong Kong to work together to push
forward the constitutional development with a pragmatic
attitude.
"If we choose to mark time rather than stride ahead, we will be
further away from our goal of universal suffrage, not closer to
it," he added.
He explained that the proposed constitutional development
package is a democratic package. It significantly enhances the
democratic element of the method for selecting the Chief Executive
by doubling the size of the Election Committee from 800 to
1600.
All the 400 District Council members directly elected by more
than three million registered voters will be included in the
Election Committee. For the 2008 LegCo, the number of seats will
increase by 10. Five will be returned through direct elections in
the geographical constituencies. The other five will be elected
from among the District Councilors, and will likewise have an
electorate base of three million voters.
Tsang said: "Our proposed package might not be all things to all
people, but I believe that, after a long period of public
consultation, it has given due regard to the aspirations of
different sectors of the community."
(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2005)
