Chamber urges balanced representation but hedges on date for full direct elections
Businesses and other sectors should be given equal seats if all district councillors were included in the nomination committee for chief executive elections in future, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce has said.
The leading business group, while giving conditional support to universal suffrage no later than 2017, argued that it was essential to maintain 'balanced representation' for all sectors when returning the future leader.
But it would not commit itself to a timetable on when the Legislative Council should be returned via universal suffrage, adding that the much-criticised bicameral system should remain an option.
In a submission, the chamber said it was reasonable to expect universal suffrage for the chief executive election no later than 2017 if eight conditions could be met. These include a regulatory framework for political parties, a network of thriving policy think-tanks as well as sufficient representation of the business sector in the political structure.
The chamber agreed that including district councillors could enhance the representation of the nomination committee.
But it said the chamber's 12 seats in the Election Committee, with those of other sectors, should be increased evenly for the sake of 'balanced representation'.
