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The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam; the Secretary for Justice, Mr Rimsky Yuen, SC; and the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Raymond Tam, today (December 4) held a press conference on the "Consultation Document on the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive in 2017 and for Forming the Legislative Council in 2016" at the Auditorium, Central Government Offices, Tamar. Following are the opening remarks by the Chief Secretary for Administration at the press conference:
Today, the Government publishes the "Consultation Document on the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive in 2017 and for Forming the Legislative Council in 2016" to formally commence a five-month public consultation exercise, and I have made a Statement at the Legislative Council (LegCo) earlier today.
I understand that you have had a chance to read my Statement and also to read the Consultation Document before this press conference. So, I would just like to highlight a few points.
First, similar to previous arrangements, for this round of consultation, the Administration will not be putting forward any specific proposals, and we would not provide specific comments on any proposals raised by various sectors of the community. In the Consultation Document, we have set out the constitutional basis and principles for designing Hong Kong's political structure, as laid down in the Basic Law and the relevant Interpretation and Decisions of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC), and a number of key issues that should be considered. We hope that, by doing so, the community will find the Document useful in understanding the key issues, and on that basis, conduct focussed discussions on how to attain universal suffrage for the Chief Executive election in 2017 and to properly handle the electoral methods for the 2016 LegCo election.
Secondly, it is the common aspiration of the Central Authorities, the HKSAR Government and the people of Hong Kong to achieve universal suffrage for the Chief Executive election in 2017. As our State Leaders have said at various occasions, the Central Authorities are whole-heartedly committed to successfully implementing universal suffrage for the Chief Executive (election) in 2017. In the HKSAR, the Chief Executive himself has likewise said that he would do his utmost to achieve this goal. Under his leadership, I, together with the Secretary for Justice and the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, will try our best to forge a consensus with various sectors of the community with a view to successfully completing the "Five-step Process" to attain universal suffrage for the Chief Executive election in 2017. All my colleagues in the Politically Appointed Officials team and the civil service team will also be rendering full support in the process.
Thirdly, we fully understand the complexity of constitutional development issues and the divergent views held by different sectors of the community on many of them. We do not underestimate the challenges in forging a consensus. Yet, I am hopeful that with the concerted efforts and collective wisdom by all concerned, we will be able to find common ground. I appeal to all quarters of the community, particularly political leaders and Legislative Council Members, to take into full account that if we do not seize the opportunity, constitutional development in Hong Kong will have to suffer from an impasse again, and to seriously consider what possible implications this may bring about to the political, social and economic stability of Hong Kong. I sincerely appeal to all members of the community to engage in rational, peaceful and pragmatic discussions, with an open, accommodating and inclusive mind.
Lastly, I hope various sectors of the community, in discussing different proposals, will also bear in mind the following three aspects:
* First, the proposals should be in conformity with the legal requirements of the Basic Law and relevant Interpretation and Decisions of the NPCSC;
* Second, the proposal should stand a reasonable chance of securing passage by a two-thirds majority in the LegCo, gaining majority support of the Hong Kong community, and receiving the approval or the record by the NPCSC; and
* Third, the proposals should be practical and practicable in terms of implementation.
Thank you very much.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the opening remarks.)
Ends/Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Issued at HKT 20:57
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