On June 22, the illegal "Occupy Central" movement is set to hold a popular vote which its advocates call an "online referendum". It will ask voters to choose one of three similar plans for the nomination of candidates in the 2017 Chief Executive Election by universal suffrage.

To attract people to the electronic poll, the organizers announced the addition of one more question with three optional answers. Each item on the ballot includes an "abstain" option. This is irrelevant due to the fraudulent nature of the exercise. By depriving voters of any meaningful choice, the popular vote is just another way to confuse the public over what the organizers call true democracy.

The three constitutional development plans for voters to choose from on June 22 were the top three winning entries selected by fewer than 2,500 supporters of "Occupy Central" in a public poll last month. All three were proposed by radical opposition groups known for their populist tendencies and ability to divide society. They all demand civil nomination and party nomination without statutory grounds. They also reduce the Nominating Committee required by the Basic Law and relevant decisions of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) to a rubber stamp. Clearly, there is no real difference between the choices. The organizers were worried that the June 22 poll would be a very public joke, so much so that they decided to add another question on the ballot to make the poll more interesting.

The new question asks voters to decide whether or not the Legislative Council (LegCo) should reject the government's constitutional reform plan if it is not up to what they term "international standards" - with abstention as a third option. Again it is designed to hoodwink Hong Kong citizens into believing whatever the "Occupy" organizers say about true democracy. It does not specify exactly what these so-called international standards are. By simply ticking one of the three options, voters are automatically considered to be part of the international standards bandwagon. Ironically, the campaign slogan for the June 22 poll is "say no to fake universal suffrage".

This insult to the intelligence of Hong Kong voters raises a serious question: If the "Occupy Central" organizers are so sure they are right, why have they not shown people any hard proof of their claims?

This devious exercise reminds me of how the George W. Bush administration convinced US Congress to back its invasion of Iraq in 2003. At first the US said it was invading Iraq to stop the threat of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Then when evidence for WMD was never found, the US claimed it was spreading democracy in Iraq. Thousands of innocent Iraqi people, including women and children, were killed. The "Occupy" organizers are using the same ploy. They are trying to win public support for their illegal actions against popular wishes in the name of true democracy.

The "Occupy Central" campaign in Hong Kong intends to help the opposition camp gain the upper hand over the government by illegal means. This will be done by paralyzing Hong Kong's central business district and demanding concessions from the central government on universal suffrage. Opinion polls have shown strong public resentment of, and dwindling support for, the "Occupy" campaign. Its organizers probably did not anticipate such a conclusive public rejection. They had to justify their illegal actions with some kind of popular approval in a hurry - hence the nonsensical June 22 electronic poll. They know their plans conflict with the Basic Law and relevant decisions by the NPCSC. This is why they are telling people that the government's plan will not meet international standards and should be abandoned. What they really hate is the Basic Law and relevant decisions by the NPCSC.

The "Occupy" initiators earlier said that they hoped 10,000 or more people would gather in Central when the government releases its draft constitutional development plan later this year. This is presumably the number they think is necessary to block traffic through Hong Kong's financial and political center. They have stopped talking about this for a while now. They are focusing their publicity drive on justifying the illegal movement instead. This includes labeling it an act of civil disobedience.

Last week one of the organizers said that he would consider the June 22 poll to be a defeat if it failed to receive at least 100,000 votes. But he said this did not mean that "Occupy Central" would not go ahead as planned. No matter what the result of the June 22 poll, the "Occupy" campaign will take place. This is because it is the easiest way to derail Hong Kong's constitutional development.

The author is a veteran current affairs commentator.

(HK Edition 06/06/2014 page9)