Ru-Deng Wang: Hong Kong Can Ultimately Implement universal suffrage

出自香港新聞網 - 樹仁新傳系學生實習習作

Ru-Deng Wang, Assistant Director of Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong S.A.R., yesterday reassured students that universal suffrage would be put into practice ultimately.

Wang gave this pledge yesterday in response to queries of a student in an assembly of Shue Yan University about democratic development of Hong Kong. “Our Basic Laws have already had a clear mechanism about universal suffrage,” he declared, “The Chief Executive and members of the Legislative Council will be returned by elections held locally. The method for selecting the Chief Executive and forming the Legislative Council will be greatly dependent to the actual situation in Hong Kong and in a gradual and orderly progress.”

But Tin-Wai Leung, Head of Journalism Department of Shue Yan University, criticized the green paper offered far too many options to reach a consensus of for universal suffrage. “It must be impossible for all political parties to compromise to arrive at a formula for universal suffrage. And the definition about gradual and orderly progress was so much confusing as described in the document.” He predicted Hong Kong could attain the ultimate aim of universal suffrage only after 2047.