Hong Kong society, in particular the vast majority of people who want to see democracy at an early date, faces a dilemma. Should it embrace the government's political reform proposals, which are a definite improvement over the existing system, or should it reject them on the grounds that they do not lead us any closer to universal suffrage?
This dilemma was imposed on us by the central government, when the National People's Congress Standing Committee decided last year that Hong Kong was not ready to move to full democracy, and that the elections in 2007 and 2008, for the chief executive and legislature, respectively, should not be by universal suffrage.
This is an ironic situation. We have just been told by former governor Chris Patten - an acknowledged master politician - that Hong Kong is indeed ready for full democracy and has been for decades. And the representative of another country that practises democratic politics, American consul-general James Cunningham, also says that Hong Kong is ready for full democracy now.
And who is saying that Hong Kong is not ready for democracy? As it happens, they are people who have had no experience whatsoever of life in a democratic society. They are senior officials of the Chinese Communist Party, who do not allow competing political parties or free elections. If democracy were practised on the mainland, it would be different. Then, at least, we would be told by people who know something about the subject that we are not ready. But that is not the situation. It is like a deaf-mute giving music lessons, or a fish teaching a bird how to fly.
However, communist leaders, in doing this, are acting in their best tradition. After all, during the anti-rightist campaigns of the 1950s, when hundreds of thousands of intellectuals were subjected to persecution, chairman Mao Zedong upheld the principle that 'laymen can lead specialists'.
However, Mao did go on to say in a 1957 speech: 'Our cadres in all trades and professions should strive to be proficient in technical and professional work, turn themselves into experts and become both red and expert.'
