Hong Kong political groups submit last-ditch proposals on 2017 poll before public consultation closes
Some moderate and Beijing-loyalist groups put forward ideas they hope can persuade at least four pan-democrats to back a reform package
Political moderates and Beijing-loyalist parties have been making a last-ditch attempt to put forward proposals under the restrictive framework laid down by Beijing for the city's electoral reform, as the last round of public consultation closes today.
At least six moderate groups have made submissions to the government. However, pan-democratic lawmakers have stuck with their vow to boycott the consultation and vote down the package, insisting any system for the 2017 chief executive election under that framework would be anti-democratic.
Under the framework laid down by the National People's Congress Standing Committee in August last year, a 1,200-strong committee with a limited electoral base would nominate two or three hopefuls for the 2017 election. A would-be candidate must get support from over half of committee members to qualify for a public vote.
Whether Beijing's framework has legal effect has been questioned. The Bar Association in its submission yesterday said it was inappropriate to comment, as a student was seeking a judicial review on the issue.
"I'd say our proposal is a wise one - it enables candidates of political parties from both the pan-democratic and the pro-establishment camps to run the race," Lung said.
Lung suggested that a potential candidate should get recommendations from as few as 120 members in the nominating body so they could enter a primary within the body before the public vote. He further proposed that an aspirant should need the endorsement of 20 legislators, so that political parties could effectively nominate someone.
Hong Kong 2020, a think tank led by former government No 2 Anson Chan Fang On-sang, issued another plan earlier this week trying to ease the "majority support" rule for the nominating committee.
Chan suggested anyone who got 10 per cent of votes from committee members would be listed on the ballot as a "recommended candidate" alongside the formal candidates. If nobody received more than half of the public votes, the committee would be required to endorse the recommended candidates for a revote.
Other moderate proposals from the likes of law professors Albert Chen Hung-yee and Simon Young Ngai-man introduce a "none-of-the-above" option on the ballot paper to allow voters to reject all candidates on the committee-approved ballot. The Bar Association supported the proposal.
The government needs a two-thirds majority in the legislature and has to win over at least four pan-democrats to achieve that.
DON'T MISS: Pan-democrats ‘would only support Beijing reforms if 70 per cent of Hongkongers back proposals’
Major political parties have reservations about all of the proposals, but pan-democrat Dr Joseph Lee Kok-long, one of six lawmakers targeted in government lobbying efforts, said officials should consider Chan's idea.
"It's good to see many people have presented new ideas. Chan's proposal addresses the people's right to nominate," Lee said.
Another targeted lawmaker, Frederick Fung Kin-kee, sounded more cautious. "I didn't look at Chan's proposal. We have done what we could. The ball is now in the government's court."
The pro-establishment camp has also joined the last-minute rush. The Liberal Party yesterday proposed that any aspirants could join the race if they could secure support from 100,000 to 400,000 registered voters through a "civil recommendation" mechanism - an idea advocated by pan-democrats last year but rejected by officials, who said the Basic Law left nominating powers with the committee.
However, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor expressed reservations about the proposal.
Proposals by other groups in the pro-establishment camp have been dismissed by some observers as being "too conservative" to help build a consensus.
Such groups have generally not touched much on the composition of the committee, while trying to make room on the nominating threshold.
However, the New People's Party proposed making more business groups eligible as electors for the subsectors that form the nominating committee, and also setting a quota for female participation in the subsectors.
Dr James Sung, a City University political scientist, agreed that lowering the nomination threshold was not enough: "The main issue is whether someone from the pan-democrat camp, or someone they favour, can become a candidate to be put to a popular vote," he said.
Another academic, Dr Chung Kim-wah from Polytechnic University, said: "The crux of the present row is not about the minute details of the electoral arrangements. It is about the pan-democrats' refusal to accept Beijing's decisions. If the government cannot convince the pan-democrats to accept a compromise package, discussing the proposals is academic."
