City may be test bed for mainland reforms
Hong Kong could serve as a testing ground for political reform on the mainland if the introduction of universal suffrage works smoothly in the city, says a Hong Kong academic.
Timothy Wong Ka-ying, of Chinese University's Institute of AsiaPacific Studies, believed the central government had considered the link between the socio-political development of Hong Kong and the mainland when it deliberated on universal suffrage in the city.
'Compared with democratic elections in western countries, the election of a chief executive by universal suffrage would be a better reference for democratic reform on the mainland,' he said.
Citing the fact that chief executive candidates have to be named by a nomination committee when the 'one man, one vote' system is in place, Professor Wong said the election would have an element of control, making the outcome less uncertain than in democratic elections in western countries.
'I believe that it stands a good chance [of encouraging] more open elections at county level on the mainland in the next 10 years,' he said. 'The experience of electing the chief executive by 'one man, one vote' could serve as valuable reference for electoral reform on the mainland.'
An executive councillor, who declined to be named, said some senior mainland officials had regretted the rejection of changes proposed for the 2007-08 polls as a missed opportunity for the mainland to draw reference from the experience of gradual electoral reform in Hong Kong.
Under the rejected proposals, put forward in 2005, district councillors would have been named to the Election Committee which selected the chief executive in 2007 and would have been given an additional five functional constituency seats in the Legislative Council.
Shi Yinhong, a professor at the school of international studies at Renmin University, agreed that successful implementation of universal suffrage for the chief executive could have an influence on the mainland.
'Some mainlanders may ask why they can't elect their own mayors 10 or 15 years from now if Hongkongers can choose their chief executive,' the professor said. 'However, I don't think Beijing would see Hong Kong as a testing ground for democratic reform on the mainland.'
