'No urgency' for unified reform plan: pan-dems

Former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang's bid to unite moderate pan-democrats and scholars with a single reform proposal has received a lukewarm response.

Moderate lawmaker Ronny Tong Ka-wah, who met Chan yesterday, said there was "no urgency" to consolidate proposals. And a group of 18 scholars said they would not merge proposals, but would issue a joint statement on "key democratic principles".

Chan, who chairs the discussion group Hong Kong 2020, has proposed creating a 1,400-member nominating committee, which would include 317 directly elected representatives. Under her proposal, any candidate who won the endorsement of one-tenth of the committee would then stand for a public vote.

Tong favours a 1,500-member nominating committee, which would include 400 district councillors, though he also wants candidates to be endorsed by one-tenth of the committee. "I think there's no urgency to consolidate our proposals, but I agree that we can join forces in calling for discussions on the formation and operation of a democratic nominating committee," Tong said.

Chan also met four academics, including Dr Brian Fong Chi-hang, vice-chairman of SynergyNet, and Community Care Fund head Dr Law Chi-kwong.

The four represented a group of 18 scholars who propose a 1,200-member nominating committee. They want candidates endorsed by 70,000 to 80,000 voters to stand in an internal ballot by the nominating committee, and for those who gain one-eighth of the votes to go to a public ballot.