The five-month consultation over a constitutional review of elections for the next chief executive and legislature ended without a stir on Friday. One reason is that it is more like a lengthy warm-up before the real battle. That will begin when the government taskforce sets out various options in its fourth report, scheduled for the end of the year.
More importantly, it has become increasingly clear that the failure to address the issue of universal suffrage in the current review has doomed any attempt to stimulate discussion. This is despite repeated remarks by Beijing and Hong Kong officials that there is still a lot of room for democratic change within the parameters set by the National People's Congress Standing Committee in April.
Many people cannot understand why both the central and Hong Kong governments have refrained from facing the issue of a timetable for universal suffrage.
The ambivalence and lack of a firm commitment by Beijing on full democracy has meant the constitutional review is incomplete, and lacks a clear long-term goal.
With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that the pan-democracy camp could find no incentive to compromise on the 2007 and 2008 electoral arrangements, when universal suffrage is not on the negotiating table.
Following the wind of political change since the July 1 march last year, major political and business forces have realised that they can no longer brush the issue aside.
The Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong and the Liberal Party have - albeit with conditions attached - said that they would strive for full universal suffrage in 2012. The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce has hinted that it does not oppose such a timetable.
