District Council appointment system may be scrapped, if opposition supports proposed package

The government Thursday called on the opposition camp to support its proposed 2012 electoral reform package announced the day before.

Offering olive branches to the opposition, Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang said the door to communications is still open and the government will strive to solicit every vote in the legislature. If opposition legislators are willing to vote in favor of the electoral package, the government will consider abolishing the appointment system for the District Council, Tang said.

The government needs at least four votes from the opposition camp to win a two-thirds majority (40 votes) from lawmakers to get the package passed.

The opposition camp, who are divided in their support of the de facto "referendum" on democracy at the by-elections, are united this time in their opposition to the electoral reform package introduced Wednesday. They said they would not support the proposals because of the absence of a clear road map of universal suffrage and a pledge to cancel the functional constituencies.

Tang attended a live phone-in radio show in an attempt to sell the electoral packages Thursday morning. At the outset, he said the package was a result of public consultation for three months and careful consideration within the government

Calling the present moment critical, he expressed hope constitutional development in Hong Kong could move a step forward.

As to the electoral method for the 117 elected District Council members who will sit on the Election Committee to select the Chief Executive in 2012, Tang said the existing "block seats" method can be revised through local legislation. That would give the opposition camp a better chance to win more seats.

Tang also said he did not agree the threshold for election of the Chief Executive in 2012 is higher than before. Although the size of the pool will increase from 800 to 1,200 members, the nomination requirement remains 12.5 percent.

On another radio show Thursday, Secretary for Constructional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam said the electoral package has broader democratic elements and he believed they will have the support of the public. If the package is passed, Hong Kong will be a step closer to universal suffrage, he said.

Lam acknowledged that the package is not ideal since it is subject to the requirements of the Basic Law and the decision of the National People's Congress Standing Committee made in December 2007.

China Daily

(HK Edition 04/16/2010 page1)