Pan-democrats cry foul over snub by visiting Basic Law pair
Mainland Basic Law pair will not be meeting democracy lawmakers during visit to city
Pan-democrats say they have been snubbed in arrangements for a visit to the city by two members of the Basic Law Committee to collect views on constitutional reform.
Lawmakers across the spectrum urged the Beijing officials to listen to a diverse range of opinions to pave the way for universal suffrage in 2017.
Basic Law Committee chairman Li Fei and vice-chairman Zhang Rongshun start their three-day visit this afternoon and have an itinerary filled with meetings with legal and other sectors - but not the pan-democrats.
Civic Party lawmakers Ronny Tong Ka-wah and Dennis Kwok will meet the pair tomorrow, but in their capacity as vice-chairmen of key Legco committees.
Twenty-three pan-democrats sent a letter to Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Yuet-ngor, who invited the legal duo, urging them not to set restrictions for reform. The consultation starts next month.
"The consultation will be meaningless if the central government lays down any candidate-screening framework," the letter said.
Lawmakers - including Beijing-loyalists - only knew of the visit when it was announced by the government late on Tuesday.