OpinionDon't blame the people for any lack of democratic 'software' in Hong Kong
Albert Cheng says attempt by Leung supporters to set parameters for the 2017 and 2020 elections is just a ploy to buy him time to serve another term
Two executive councillors, Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun and Lam Woon-kwong, this week commented on universal suffrage and democratisation for Hong Kong. It was no coincidence but, instead, part of a scheme by supporters of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to set the parameters and direction for the chief executive election in 2017, and the Legislative Council election in 2020.
Lam avoided discussing universal suffrage for the chief executive poll and focused only on the 2020 Legco election.
Even though the two tried to present a liberal and transparent approach, the entire exercise was designed to blow their own trumpets. It's well known that, according to a decision by the National People's Congress Standing Committee, the chief executive election in 2017 has to be resolved first so that the leader elected can deal with the 2020 arrangements.
Law, a diehard Leung supporter, tried to dress up her pseudo-democratisation theories by saying that any democratic system must have both hardware and software. Her ulterior motive was to highlight the lack of political talent in Hong Kong, and buy time for Leung so that he could serve a second term.
She said that to seek further democratisation doesn't mean we should insist only on an electoral system that allows one person, one vote, and that having a government elected through universal suffrage will not necessarily solve all our problems.
What she meant was that Hong Kong people should just accept what's being handed to them - caged democracy - because that's the reality.