Business Professionals Alliance 'has no fear' of direct elections
Chairman of the new party says it is open to ideas on political reform - but it's time to put a stop to bickering between rival camps
The newly formed Business and Professionals Alliance will not stand in the way of any possible routes towards universal suffrage and is ready to start work on contesting direct elections, chairman Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen says.
Six of the group's seven legislators represent functional constituencies, which democrats want abolished as part of moves towards full democracy.
Leung, the industrial-sector legislator, said the alliance would be open to any suggestions for political reform.
"We would be glad to discuss, with anyone, any proposals that could be passed," he said.
"A political grouping has no future if it does not prepare itself for universal suffrage. It is an irreversible trend."
Under the Basic Law, any reform proposal requires support from two-thirds of lawmakers, which translates to at least 47 votes out of 70.
The pan-democrats have made clear that they will accept nothing less than "genuine universal suffrage" in the 2017 chief executive election.