Protests won't speed up poll reform, says Tsang
Staging street protests and rallying in Victoria Park would not help Hong Kong attain universal suffrage, the chief executive warned yesterday.
He also said that Hong Kong's democratisation and the development of the rule of law could not serve as an example for the mainland.
During a Legislative Council question-and-answer session, in the face of accusations from pan-democratic lawmakers that his policy address lacked a commitment to the introduction of universal suffrage, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said people had to be pragmatic if they were going to convince Beijing.
'There are many ways to convince the central government, but I believe some measures are more useful than others. Confrontation is relatively less effective,' he said.
Mr Tsang said it was important to convince Beijing that democratisation would lead to social harmony, effective governance, and a consolidation of Hong Kong's position as an international financial and logistics centre.
'I do it pragmatically. I am determined, and I hope to reach it step by step. It is not as simple as just taking to the streets. There is a lot of work to do still,' he said.
Last Sunday, thousands of people attended a rally in the park and marched to Central, calling for the introduction of universal suffrage by 2012.
Civic Party legislator Ronny Tong Ka-wah questioned Mr Tsang's commitment to universal suffrage. He urged Mr Tsang to clearly reflect the public desire for the introduction of full democracy by 2012, because this was the consensus that had emerged from recent opinion polls.
Lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung, of the League of Social Democrats, said: 'You are not determined to introduce universal suffrage.'
But Mr Tsang said his government had already issued a green paper to consult the public over constitutional development, and he was analysing the views before reporting to Beijing.
He said finding a proposal that would be supported by two-thirds of legislators would also be vital.
Responding to Democrat James To Kun-sun's question on whether he meant Hong Kong's democratisation could also contribute to the democratisation of the mainland, Mr Tsang said it was inappropriate under the 'one country, two systems' concept.
'I believe we have to find the political answer we need in Hong Kong ... I don't believe that because we are successful, the mainland can also use [our model],' Mr Tsang said.
