The SAR government announced Wednesday the amended proposals for selecting the Chief Executive (CE) and forming the Legislative Council (LegCo) in 2012.

The proposed electoral changes contain more democratic elements than the existing ones. Judging from results of the opinion polls conducted soon after the announcement, the majority of the public deem the reform package acceptable.

The opposition camp has been against the government's proposals all along. The approach taken by the opposition may be summarized in two points. First, all prevailing conflicts in society are attributable to the absence of universal suffrage and these conflicts could be resolved once the CE and all LegCo members are elected through universal suffrage. Secondly, leaders of the democratic movement advocate the application of shock therapy, namely, the scrapping of all the functional constituencies and the immediate and full implementation of universal suffrage for CE and LegCo elections in 2012. While there are supporters for such propositions in the community, they certainly do not constitute the majority.

As a matter of fact, the opposition's radical proposals run against the mainstream values of Hong Kong society. Although opinions in the community are diverse, Hong Kong people are more used to mild and gradual evolution rather than sudden and thorough changes. Such an attitude is the result of Hong Kong society's special characteristics and history.

What the opposition camp really advocates is that the SAR may disrespect the Central Government or does not have to comply with the Basic Law. According to them, the SAR could determine by itself whether to make changes to its own political system and what those changes should be. They have even orchestrated the "general resignations in the five geographical constituencies" and the subsequent by-elections, a ploy equivalent to a sudden attack, which they describe as "referendum". The central and SAR governments have expressed explicit opposition to these actions.

As we all know, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) already set down, in the form of "decisions" in 2007, the timetable for the realization of universal suffrage for the selection of CE and all LegCo members. These decisions carry with them legal authority and legal powers.

While announcing the schedule in 2007, the NPCSC also specified the five steps to be taken before universal suffrage could be implemented in future. The opposition simply ignores these rulings, which amounts to working against the Central Government from the constitutional view point. Hence, those who defy the Basic Law cannot win majority support from society.

It appears likely that opposition legislators will exercise their power to veto the government proposals. If that is the case, it would mean that a more democratic reform package could not be put into practice, and Hong Kong must settle for the existing electoral approach. It would also imply that the opposition camp would continue with its confrontation with the Central Government and launch radical campaigns from time to time.

Yet, not only would all this maneuvering never win public support, it would also hamper the city's democratic progress.

The author is a commentator of Phoenix Satellite TV

(HK Edition 04/16/2010 page2)