Hong Kong govt unveils democratic reform proposals
Posted: 18 November 2009 1836 hrs

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HONG KONG: Hong Kong on Wednesday paved the way for a move towards universal suffrage with a proposal to increase the number of people who elect the city's leader.

But the plan fell short of the expectations of the city's pro-democracy politicians, who have urged the government to introduce a vote-for-all in 2012.

Henry Tang, Chief Secretary for Administration, told lawmakers the government wanted to raise the number of members on the Election Committee from the current 800 to 1,200 in 2012 to enhance its representativeness.

The committee, whose members are mostly pro-Beijing, is tasked to choose the city's Chief Executive every four years.

Tang said the government also proposed to increase the membership of the Legislative Council from the current 60 to 70 in 2012. A three-month public consultation on the proposals will begin Wednesday.

He said the Chinese authorities had already made clear that universal suffrage "may be implemented for the Chief Executive in 2017 and the Legislative Council in 2020" and appealed for support from the lawmakers.

"This is a constitutional decision. If our constitutional development gets stuck again, it will inevitably disappoint members of the public."

Tang was referring to the government's failure to gain the two-thirds majority support required for the passage of the previous constitutional reform proposal in 2005.

Hundreds of pro-democracy protesters marched to the Central Government Offices to demand a clearer roadmap for universal suffrage after Tang's meeting with the lawmakers.

Albert Ho, chairman of the Democratic Party, said there was no substance in the consultation document and that they would continue to fight for universal suffrage in 2012.

"The consultation document gives no concrete proposals on how universal suffrage could be implemented. There is no mention at all about the need to change the law," he told AFP.

Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Outside the remit of constitutional development, the city is allowed to operate a separate legal and administrative system.

- AFP/sc