After a heated debate for five hours, the Legislative Council (LegCo) this morning voted down by 21-32 a motion which expressed regret and dissatisfaction over the country's top legislature ruling out universal suffrage in 2007/08.

The Democratic Party's Albert Ho, who moved the motion, criticized the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) for having interpreted the Basic Law annexes on April 6 without prior consultation with Hong Kong people.

He further blamed it for ruling out universal suffrage in 2007/08 at its meeting on April 26.

Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung noted that many people were disappointed that universal suffrage would not take place in 2007/08.

But she said no constitutional development that would affect the political system of Hong Kong can take place without Beijing's consent.

"There is no doubt that the NPCSC interpretation is lawful, constitutional and binding. It has not only clarified the top legislature's position on constitutional development in 2007/08, but also cleared doubts over related parts of the Basic Law annexes," she said.

Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Stephen Lam said that since the NPCSC decision had allowed electoral methods in 2007/08 to be changed, he could not agree with the motion which said the decision had ignored the people's demand for political reform.

Tam Yiu-chung, of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong, said the NPCSC decision had mapped out a clear scope for constitutional development in Hong Kong.

There is still plenty of room for constitutional development, he said, citing Premier Wen Jiabao's recent remark that Beijing has not changed the goal of universal suffrage for Hong Kong.

"The Legislative Council is not a place for people to challenge the central government. This will harm stability," he said.

The Liberal Party's Howard Young noted that there were many people who have been opposed to or expressed reservation towards universal suffrage in 2007/08. The NPCSC had obviously made its decision after weighing the pros and cons in Hong Kong.

"We cannot rush through constitutional development because it affects prosperity and stability in Hong Kong," he said.

Ng Leung-sing, from the Election Committee for the chief executive, pointed out that the power of the Legislative Council has come from the NPC.

"Any motion querying or showing dissatisfaction towards the NPC undermines rule of law, the constitutional order, and even 'One Country, Two Systems'," Ng said.

Ambrose Lau, of the Hong Kong Progressive Alliance, said the motion was not consistent with the constitutional role of LegCo.

(HK Edition 05/20/2004 page1)