Legislator Ronny Tong Ka-wah was perhaps not the only one left feeling perplexed by the differences between a forthcoming consultation on political reform and the previous round, when he heard a progress report from Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen.
Based on a lengthy consultation that ended in October, the fourth report gives no clear indication of arrangements for elections to pick the next chief executive and the legislature. Nor does it seek to offer a direction for desirable changes.
Mr Tong is worried that the results of a mixed consultation could end up with the same result. If the fourth report is important, it is not because of what it contains, but what it eliminates.
Speaking in the Legislative Council, Mr Tsang stressed it was not realistic to challenge the decision made by the National People's Congress Standing Committee in April, in which universal suffrage for the chief executive in 2007 and the legislature in 2008 was ruled out.
Eight months on, many are still unconvinced about the NPC ruling, and a feeling of loss and resistance has prevailed. As time is running short, Mr Tsang is anxious to close the case for full democracy by 2007/2008 for a more focused discussion on incremental electoral changes.
Citing unidentified complexities, he has effectively deferred indefinitely discussion on a timetable for full democracy. This is because Beijing has no intention of exploring the possibility of a timetable at a time when the political scene in Hong Kong is still volatile.
