Functional constituencies should be expanded to allow all registered electors a vote, provisional legislator Andrew Wong Wang-fat said. The rules proposed for next year's Legco election cut voter numbers from 2.7 million to 186,000. In a paper submitted to the committee scrutinising the election bill, Mr Wong proposes splitting the 30 functional seats into five new groups: commerce; education and culture; industry; labour; and public and social services. Each would have six seats. Voters would be allowed a vote in each group as well as one in their geographical constituency, thus giving each six votes. Candidates for the functional constituency seats would have to have knowledge and experience of the constituency concerned. Mr Wong admitted his proposal would mean a de facto expansion of direct elections, but this was the only way elections could be universal and equal. 'This would be a good and democratic election. At least there would be 50 out of 60 seats that are universally and equally elected. We should not disenfranchise voters,' Mr Wong said. He refused to rate the chances of getting the amendment through but Tsang Yok-sing of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong was not encouraging. 'I doubt whether the amendment would be able to be tabled. It is even more radical than Patten's [political reform],' he said. 'I admit the functional constituency elections are not very democratic but at the present stage, it is not appropriate to change.' He said Mr Wong's proposal was inconsistent with the Preparatory Committee's decision on forming the first Legco. It concluded functional seats were to be elected by corporate bodies or individuals from the functional constituencies. President of the provisional legislature Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai refused to comment on whether she would allow Mr Wong to table his proposed amendment.