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Universal suffrage in Hong Kong
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Nelson Wong will launch his petition this week. Photo: Dickson Lee

Democrat rebel Nelson Wong dismisses Beijing official’s hard-line stance on political reform

Nelson Wong renewed his pledge to press ahead with a signature campaign to support political the reform package despite a Beijing official’s remarks that dismissed one of the concessions he hopes to win.

Lai Ying-kit

Democratic Party dissident Nelson Wong Sing-chi this morning renewed his pledge to press ahead with a signature campaign to conditionally support the government’s political reform package despite a Beijing official’s remarks that dismissed one of the concessions he hopes to win.

The former lawmaker will place ads in two newspapers this week, calling on Hongkongers to sign a template letter online or send it by mail.

The letter calls for people to support the government’s proposal, contrary to his party’s stance, while urging Beijing to make two concessions. The first demand is for a “none of the above” option on the ballot for voters dissatisfied with the two or three candidates approved by a 1,200-member nominating committee. The second is that corporate votes for the election of the committee be abolished.

Zhang Rongshun, vice-chairman of the national legislature’s Basic Law Committee, was quoted as saying yesterday that corporate voting could not be abolished in the proposed nominating body for the 2017 chief executive election.

I won’t bother with this for now. I will continue to press ahead with my plan
Nelson Wong

Wong, 57, speaking during an RTHK radio show this morning, said he would continue to push for concessions from Beijing on the reform proposal.

He said Zhang was quoted by pro-establishment lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, so it remained unclear whether his remarks now represented the central government’s official stance on the issue.

“I won’t bother with this for now. I will continue to press ahead with my plan,” Wong said.

During another radio programme, Wong said he could not see any chance of a better proposal for universal suffrage coming for at least 10 years if the city rejects the current blueprint this summer.

He expected the government would not relaunch the steps for introducing universal suffrage for the chief executive election before 2021.

And as 2021 would not leave enough time for a new blueprint to be implemented for the 2022 election, the next earliest chance would be in 2027.

READ MORE: Dissident Democrat Nelson Wong pledges to stay party member despite push to back reform proposal

Wong said he expected that the central government would stick to its restrictive framework decided last August – in which chief executive candidates must be supported by half of the 1,200-strong committee before going to the final public vote.

“By that time, the Communist Party will not change. The Hong Kong government will not change. Beijing will give the August 31 framework again,” the former legislator said.

“So if we reject the proposal it will be very difficult for the community to get another chance to ask to cancel the August 31 framework,” Wong said.

Wong, who is likely to face suspension from the Democratic Party when its central committee meets to discuss his case tomorrow, yesterday denied any ulterior motive in launching the signature campaign. He insisted he was only taking a “humble” step in the hope of achieving “one person, one vote” in 2017.

“This is an action of my own. There is no other organisation behind me,” Wong said. “If today people doubt my heart for democracy, I’ll feel a little sad.”

Wong has faced severe criticism from fellow Democrats as the party has decided that its six lawmakers will vote down the reform package.

Wong’s signed petition will be sent to Beijing’s liaison office and to all lawmakers before the Legislative Council votes on the reforms next month.

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