Beijing tipped for February statement on democracy

Beijing is likely to make clear its stance on Hong Kong's pace of democracy in February ahead of the National People's Congress' new term, which starts in March, executive councillor Tsang Yok-sing said yesterday.

The lawmaker for the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said there was a 'very slim chance' that universal suffrage could be attained in 2012.

He said Beijing could spell out its views on a suitable time for Hong Kong to attain full democracy after receiving the government's report on the city's political reform.

The three-month consultation on constitutional reform ends on October 10. The government is widely expected to submit a report to the central government early next year.

'The possibility of achieving universal suffrage to elect the chief executive in 2017 is higher than 2012, but I can't say whether the central government has decided that universal suffrage would be introduced to elect the chief executive,' Mr Tsang said.

A source close to the central government said it would clearly spell out that electing the chief executive by universal suffrage in 2012 was not in line with the Basic Law's principle of 'gradual and orderly progress'. It would do this, the source said, in February after it received the report from the chief executive.

The source said the government's timing on revealing its stance had taken into consideration the fact that it would have an unfavourable impact on the Beijing-friendly camp in the Legislative Council election in September next year. 'That's why the central government's strategy is to express its views early next year so as to dilute the negative impact.'