The government's constitutional development proposal, unveiled last Wednesday, contained few surprises and was lambasted by critics inside and outside the Legislative Council.
Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, in presenting the document to legislators, explained that this was the best deal Beijing would permit. While many from the pan-democratic camp are still calling for universal suffrage for all of Legco and the chief executive election in 2012, Tang pointed out that the National People's Congress Standing Committee had ruled that out.
As to demands for a road map for universal suffrage in 2017 and 2020, Tang explained that the administration of Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen did not have the authority to put one forward. The central government's liaison office in Hong Kong confirmed that Beijing has limited the latest consultation paper to election methods in 2012.
Yet, Tang had scarcely stopped speaking when large numbers of legislators, with banners and slogans prepared in advance, marched to the Central Government Offices in protest. Legislators from the League of Social Democrats demonstrated outside Government House.
No one, as far as can be determined, protested against Beijing for tying the hands of the Hong Kong government. Ironically, last Wednesday's papers also reported that a survey conducted by the Public Opinion Programme of Hong Kong University showed 44 per cent of Hong Kong people felt positively about the central government, while only 24 per cent indicated the same feeling about the Hong Kong government.
Moreover, while 20 per cent of the 622 respondents had negative feelings about the Hong Kong government, only 15 per cent had such feelings about Beijing.
Just as legislators vetoed the reform package in 2005 because it did not have a timetable for universal suffrage - something which the Tsang administration did not have the authority to provide - so, they are threatening to veto the current package because it lacks a road map, again something the administration does not have the authority to provide.