Liberal party leader Allen Lee Peng-fei is right. So are those on the Preparatory Committee who have argued for maximum transparency in choosing the Chief Executive. The decision to keep nominations for candidates for the post secret is a step in the wrong direction, and it is to be hoped that the PC presidium will reverse it as soon as possible. There are two reasons why secrecy is the wrong course. The selection of the Chief Executive is just that - a selection, not an open, popular election. But, within the confines which the process entails, the maximum degree of transparency must be sought if the people of Hong Kong are to have as much confidence as possible in the man who will lead them through the coming years. The contrast between the way in which the Governor opened himself to public questioning after his policy address and the decision to put the nomination process in Beijing under wraps pointed in quite the wrong direction. Even if nothing is set down in advance in the handover texts, Hong Kong people have a moral right to know who is backing whom. This has become additionally desirable in view of the current speculation about which business groups are backing which candidate. There are reports that it was pressure from the business community which led to the decision to keep nominations secret - motivated, in part, by fears of being seen to have backed the wrong horse when the final decision is made. But the potential embarrassment of some PC members should not be allowed to stand in the way of the maximum degree of public information on this issue. In a more general way, the whole process of transition needs to carry the people of Hong Kong along with it if it is to work as smoothly as possible. Hong Kong should not be a mute bystander as its future is decided. The extent to which Chief Executive candidates have gone out in public, rather than confining their campaigns to canvassing behind closed doors, is entirely welcome, and can be built on. Letting the public know who backs whom to take the top job here next summer would be another useful step in this direction. Keeping it secret will not only fan the fears that our future is being decided for us in another place without real reference to Hong Kong's wider interests - but could also set a regrettable precedent for the way the SAR will work in the future.
