Hong Kong - Pro-democracy legislators in Hong Kong Sunday
called for urgent talks with China's lawmakers to press their case
for universal suffrage in 2012.
The appeal came four days after the former British colony's leader
Donald Tsang put forward to Beijing a blueprint for political reform
which delays full democracy until at least 2020.
Leading pro-democracy legislator Yeung Sum said Sunday they wanted
talks with members of China's National People's Congress Standing
Committee to argue the case for universal suffrage in 2012.
They had already called for talks with Tsang about the political
reform proposals which they feel are inadequate and fail to address
Hong Kong people's desire for democracy as soon as possible.
'Since the (chief executive's) report has already been submitted
to the National People's Congress, it is appropriate for the chief
executive to arrange an urgent meeting between members of the
congress and the democrats of the legislative council,' Yeung said.
Pro-democracy legislators wanted a 'thorough dialogue' to press
their case for earlier universal suffrage in the former British
colony, he said in an address on government-run radio station RTHK.
The Hong Kong government's proposals for political reform have
come as a bitter disappointment for activists campaigning for full
democracy.
Announcing the plan, China-appointed chief executive Donald Tsang
conceded that more than half of Hong Kong people wanted universal
suffrage for the next chief executive election in 2012.
But he said the proposals would stand 'a better chance of being
accepted by the majority in our community' if universal suffrage was
implemented in the chief executive election in 2017 and for
legislators later.
Only half of Hong Kong's legislators are currently directly
elected and elections are held every four years with the next
one after the 2017 chief executive poll scheduled for 2020.
Hong Kong's chief executive is currently chosen by an 800-member,
largely pro-Beijing election committee and Tsang is proposing only
minor and mostly technical changes to the way the 2012 election is
staged.
The proposals have been sent to the Standing Committee China's
National People's Congress which must approve any changes to way the
chief executive and legislators are chosen in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is technically entitled to full democracy from 2007
under the terms of the mini-constitution by which it has been
governed since reverting to Chinese sovereignty in 2007 under a 'one
country two systems' arrangement.
Huge pro-democracy marches were held in 2003 and 2004 but Beijing
made clear it believed the city of 6.9 million was not yet mature
enough for free elections and repeatedly refused to put a date on
universal suffrage.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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