Pan-democrats vow 'close contact' with Hong Kong citizens over political reform proposals
Alan Leong's comments mock government officials forced to stay on bus during city tour
Pan-democrats kicked off their campaign to fight for "genuine democracy" yesterday as the government said it would evaluate its attempts to drum up Hongkongers' support for political reform following Saturday's chaos.
Alan Leong Kah-kit, the convenor of 23 pan-democratic lawmakers, vowed their campaign in the coming two months would demonstrate a stark contrast to the government's, which he described as having "no contact with the citizens".
The Civic Party leader was mocking the government's open-top bus parade on Saturday when more than 30 officials were forced to stay on a bus as it toured around the city while opponents made themselves heard along the route.
"Our campaign [would] come into close contact with the citizens of Hong Kong to explain why we should not pocket the government proposal," Leong said. "If the government really thinks what it proposes is good, it should not be shy to come down from the bus and explain, even to those who object to the government proposal, and to persuade them."
Meanwhile, Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung, who joined Saturday's parade, said the team hoped to meet citizens directly but had given up in light of recent protests.
Last Wednesday, officials who attempted to reach out to the public on reform were greeted with a rowdy protest instead.
"We do not want any unhappy incidents or injuries to happen during our publicity drive … under such circumstances we decided not to get off [the bus]," said Yuen, adding the government would evaluate its efforts and continue exploring ways to speak with citizens effectively.
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying - at an Asean meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malyasia - called on the protesters to reflect on their acts, which he described as unhelpful to the current debate.
The government last Wednesday rolled out the reform plan, which stipulated only two or three candidates who secured majority support from a 1,200-strong nominating committee would be able to run.
All pan-democrats had pledged to veto the model - which is strictly based on the August decision by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress - as they said it would effectively rule out any hopefuls Beijing disliked.
In the coming two months, pan-democrats will hold various seminars and parades to explain their rationale to the public. Postcards would also be distributed, said Leong, as he called on Hongkongers to spread the message to each other.
"If Hong Kong does not achieve universal suffrage in 2017 because several people make historic mistakes during the Legislative Council's discussion, the harm it brings is not only forcing political development to come to a standstill. The harm done may cover many aspects and be disastrous," he said.