Constitutional choices include splitting Legco into an upper house and more powerful lower chamber, similar to the US
An influential pro-democracy action group yesterday published a document outlining 10 options on constitutional reform for the chief executive and the Legislative Council elections in 2007 and 2008.
Among the options recommended was the separation of the legislature into an upper house and a more powerful and directly elected lower chamber similar to the system in the US. Drafters said if both houses were given equal powers it might smooth the implementation of government policy.
Rather than wait for the government to come up with its own proposals, Power for Democracy hopes its consultation document, jointly published with the Democratic Foundation, will kick-start debate on reform and provide a basis for discussion for the forthcoming constitutional review.
Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, convenor of Power for Democracy, said that based on its proposals, people could refine their views on speeding up of the pace of democratic reform from 'slogan-style demands' to systematic discussions.
'Since the government has kept delaying its own consultation paper, we have to do it as community groups,' he said.
