After due consultation, the SAR government Wednesday finally unveiled its reform proposals for elections to be held in 2012. The proposals have incorporated requests put forward back in 2005. The package incorporates the suggestions advanced during the recent consultation and that fall within the parameters set out in the Basic Law and by the National People's Congress. After the announcement Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yum-kuen personally made phone calls to opposition lawmakers to explain the details of the proposals and to solicit their endorsement.

A few hours later, Qiao Xioyang, who speaks for the National People's Congress Standing Committee, held a press conference in Beijing to voice support for the proposals, and at the same time to clarify several points raised by opposition politicians here in Hong Kong. This indirect dialogue was commonly regarded as a gesture of reconciliation to the opposition camp, with a view to coaxing them to pass the constitutional development bill in July.

As usual, all these goodwill gestures seemed to be in vain and the responses from the opposition were overwhelmingly negative. Full of conspiracy theories, they queried the timing of the announcement, even though they conceded it would be favorable to the upcoming by-elections and to their favor. They threatened to take to the street on July 1, which they would have done anyway, since that date has become an annual day of protest for dissenters. In the end, they say they will use their veto power to ensure that for a second time, the constitutional development bill will be defeated.

Should that happen, and chances are it would, then according to the decision of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, the election methods in 2012 will remain unchanged. That would make the prospects for universal suffrage to be implemented for the election of the Chief Executive in 2017 and for the Legislative Council in 2012 rather slim.

Since both the package in 2005 and the one currently on the table are well supported by the general public, should they veto it again, it is perfectly clear that they are acting against the public interest. To most of us it is a mystery that politicians who claim to be pro-democracy should repeatedly impede progress towards universal suffrage.

Now there is still ample time for our opposition parties and politicians to reconsider their positions and change their minds on how to cast their votes when the bill comes up for approval in July. A small step on their part would mean a big step toward universal suffrage in the SAR's democratic development.

The author is a member of the Commission on Strategic Development

(HK Edition 04/16/2010 page2)