But the taskforce does not elaborate on this definition
After two months of public consultation, involving 82 groups and 600 submissions, the government political taskforce has concluded that changes are possible to the selection method for the next chief executive and the formation of the Legislative Council after 2007.
'Our conclusion is that, if there is a need, amendments to the method of selecting the third-term chief executive in 2007 may be considered,' the report said.
But it did not specify the definition of 'if there is a need'.
The taskforce, set up in January, consulted the public on five issues of the legislative process relating to constitutional development. They were: what legislative process should be used for amending the methods of selecting the chief executive and Legco; whether there is a need to invoke Article 159 of the Basic Law; initiation of amendments; whether the method for forming the third-term Legco may apply to the fourth and subsequent terms; and how the phrase 'subsequent to the year 2007' should be understood.
Taskforce chief Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said although the public was split over whether the phrase 'subsequent to 2007' in Annex I of the Basic Law actually included the year 2007, the taskforce was of the view that it did.
As to the crucial question of who will initiate the amendments, the report says if it is decided that there is a need to amend the selection methods, the proposed changes 'should only be introduced to Legco by the SAR government'.