Hong Kong democrats call for urgent meeting with Chinese leaders

Dec 16, 2007, 7:40 GMT

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.