Pan-democrats fear reinterpretation of 'universal suffrage'

Pan-democrats in the legal community say there are ominous signs pointing to a reinterpretation of the Basic Law to rule out the need to abolish functional constituencies.

These fears were enhanced when Democratic Party member Cheung Man-kwong revealed he had been approached in the Legislative Council's antechamber - where only lawmakers and officials are allowed - and asked what he thought about a possible interpretation by Beijing of what is meant by universal suffrage.

Members of the legal sub-sector in the Election Committee tonight will discuss possible action against what appears to be a concerted effort to retain functional constituencies.

Those concerns follow a succession of remarks: first by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen over how the functional constituencies do not 'yet' comply with principles of universal suffrage; then by Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, who said the Basic Law does not require the abolition of those seats.

Similar comments have been made more recently by Maria Tam Wai-chu, a member of the Basic Law Committee and a National People's Congress local deputy, and Professor Rao Geping , deputy director of the State Council's Institute of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs and a law professor at Peking University.

Such comments in the past have been a prelude to reinterpretation by the central authorities.

Lawyers have also revealed approaches made by mainland officials, under the guise of 'academic exchanges', to discuss the constitutional premise for abolishing functional constituencies, in what seems to be a water-testing exercise as well as part of attempts to reformulate legal arguments.