Foot-dragging charges denied
The constitutional affairs minister has dismissed criticisms that the Hong Kong government is dragging its feet on democratisation.
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam Sui-lung yesterday reiterated that the government was committed to pursuing full democracy and that the government's report to Beijing on constitutional development last week was a step closer to that goal.
At yesterday's RTHK City Forum, rival political parties blamed one another for what they called lack of progress on democratic development.
Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan blasted the government for not recommending to Beijing in last week's report a time frame for introducing universal suffrage in the legislature.
Mr Lam dismissed Mr Ho's criticisms, saying: 'If we did not have such a commitment [to full democracy], the chief executive [Donald Tsang Yam-kuen] would not have given Hong Kong people and Hong Kong society the undertaking to pursue this agenda during the new five-year term between 2007 and 2012.
'If we did not have such a commitment, we would not have issued the constitutional development green paper in July this year ... we would not have presented our report to [Beijing] so soon after completion of the three-month consultation period.'
Mr Tsang said in his report on constitutional development to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress that the majority of citizens wanted to elect directly the next chief executive in 2012. But, in an apparent nod to Beijing's preference for a slower pace of political reforms here, Mr Tsang said having universal suffrage for the chief executive by no later than 2017 would stand a better chance of being accepted.
Earlier reports said the Standing Committee could meet as soon as this month to discuss Mr Tsang's report.
Speaking at City Forum, Mr Ho urged Mr Tsang to help the pan-democrats arrange a meeting with the Standing Committee members before it made any decision.
Mr Lam said the government would do so if a request was received.
Meanwhile, speaking on the RTHK radio programme Letter to Hong Kong, veteran Democrat Yeung Sum also said his party wanted to persuade Beijing officials that '2012 is already too gradual for Hong Kong to launch the democratic election'.
Separately, in a street forum, lawmaker Emily Lau Wai-hing, of The Frontier, also expressed disappointment with Mr Tsang's report and accused him of a lack of sincerity in fighting for more democracy.
