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Reporter: Regarding the timetable. Coming back to the need to introduce legislation, what is the latest decision on the public consultation – will it be two, four or six months? What do you have in mind?
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs: We will decide towards the end of this year, within the fourth quarter of this year, as to when we should launch the next round of public consultation. I believe that for the third-term HKSAR Government, we have ample time to deal with the electoral methods for 2012. We have spent the first year of our term of office to deal with the universal suffrage timetable. We have also spent the last few months in this first year to begin a process of prospective looking forward as to the possible options for consideration. I believe that at the latest by 2010, we should have firm proposals put to the LegCo for consideration as to the electoral methods for 2012 for returning the CE and for forming the LegCo. That will enable us to deal with possible amendments to Annexes I and II of the Basic Law to be followed by local legislation. So, we have up to two years between now and then to deal with public consultation.
Reporter: Composition of the Election Committee. If it increases in size, will it increases that spread equally among all four sectors in terms of the seats? That’s one. The other is the degree or percentage – if you increase the size of the EC, you are making a higher threshold in terms of members?
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs: For the discussion today, most members who expressed a view on nomination threshold agreed that we should maintain that threshold at one-eighth. As for the size of the Election Committee for 2012 and the composition of the four sectors, no decision has been made. That is precisely a question which we need to address during the next round of public consultation.
Reporter: Will the next consultation be in the form of a white paper? Will the proposals you refer to the legislature be in the form of legislation?
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs: I think the cover of the consultation document, the colour thereof, is not the most important. What is most important is that we will consult the legislature, District Councils, various functional sectors and the general community on the way forward for 2012 electoral methods. After that round of public consultation, we will see whether there is a firmer basis for us to put forward firm proposals for changing the electoral methods in 2012.
Reporter: My question is whether the proposals to the legislature be in the form of legislation, or may be just proposals?
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs: I think for the next round of public consultation, we will put forth certain options and ideas for the public to consider. We will not yet have reached the point whereby we put forward draft legislation for the legislature to consider.
Reporter: My question has two parts: what is going to the population for consultation and what is going to LegCo? Will what goes to LegCo be in the form of legislation or in some other form?
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs: I think as and when we launch the next round of public consultation, that will be a document which will encompass various options and ideas for the public to consider. After we have completed that round of public consultation, we will see whether differences within the community and among political parties have narrowed sufficiently for us to put forward a firm set of proposals with legislative amendments for the legislature to consider. At the very latest, we should put forward legislative amendment proposals to the LegCo on possible amendments to Annexes I and II of the Basic Law by 2010.
(To be continued)
Ends/Friday, June 27, 2008
Issued at HKT 20:17
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