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Pan-democratic lawmakers have called on the administration to restart the reform procedure and gather Hongkongers' true opinions if they vote down the current plan. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

CY Leung urges pan-democrats to accept political reform package

Expecting next chief executive to restart reform process 'may be wishful thinking'

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has urged the pan-democrats to accept the government's political reform package, warning that the city's next leader might not restart the procedure should it be voted down.

Since the process of introducing universal suffrage for the legislature can only start after the direct election of the chief executive, he also said the public would need to wait for at least nine years until 2024 to have a democratic Legislative Council.

Leung's warning came as Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung said the legislature should vote on the reform plan by July 8 at the latest - the last meeting before its summer recess.

"We have no intention of postponing" the vote, said Yuen, who received a mixed response in Southern district as he lobbied for public support.

Rimsky Yuen hands out pamphlets yesterday. Photo: Franke Tsang
The government's reform package stipulates that only two or three candidates who secure majority support from a 1,200-strong nominating committee can run for chief executive.

Yesterday, ministers and pan-democrats met the public to seek support for their views.

On RTHK's , Leung criticised pan-democratic politicians for not suggesting any alternative within the framework of the Basic Law.

"Will [the pan-democrats] have something better for the Hong Kong people? Do they seriously think that their proposal will have the support of two-thirds of [Legislative Council] members?" he asked.

Pan-democratic lawmakers have called on the administration to restart the reform procedure and gather Hongkongers' true opinions if, as expected, they vote down the current plan, which they say would in effect bar candidates Beijing disliked.

But Leung argued that might only be wishful thinking.

"Are we sure that the next chief executive will agree? Are we sure that the [National People's Congress Standing Committee] will approve? Furthermore, who can say when the next opportunity to start this process will be?" he asked.

Separately, the city's sole deputy to the Standing Committee, Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, remained pessimistic about the prospect of reform yesterday, as she said pan-democrats were under heavy pressure to vote against the plan for fear of losing support in next year's Legco poll.

"But it's hard to say in politics … perhaps there might be some last-minute twist" ahead of the legislature's showdown, she said after attending the inauguration ceremony of pro-establishment think tank The Arete.

Professor Lau Siu-kai, vice-chairman of the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said it was impractical to demand that Beijing make any concession over the plan. He said the Standing Committee's framework would still be applied should the government restart the reform procedure in future.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: CY warns against vetoing 2017 poll plan
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