ELECTORAL REFORM TASK GROUP CONVENES, DEMOCRATS'

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HONG KONG 000378 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/CM NSC FOR DENNIS WILDER E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2033 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR PHUM CH HK SUBJECT: ELECTORAL REFORM TASK GROUP CONVENES, DEMOCRATS' EXPECTATIONS LOW REF: A. 07 HONG KONG 03118 ¶B. HONG KONG 0213 Classified By: E/P Section Chief Laurent Charbonnet; Reasons 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The February 28 initial session of Hong Kong's newly created "Task Group on Constitutional Development" did not produce any tangible results. Tasked with development of proposals for limited reform of the 2012 Chief Executive (CE) and Legislative Council (Legco) elections, the 30-member group will meet monthly until June, after which the Hong Kong Government (HKG) hopes to consolidate its findings for public consultation during the fourth quarter of this year. According to one Task Group (TG) member, pro-democracy legislator Lee Cheuk-yan, progress was and will continue to be constrained by the group's mandate to develop only "interim measures" for the 2012 elections, without consideration of how any proposed changes might affect subsequent reforms for elections beyond 2012. According to the HKG, however, consideration of reforms for elections beyond 2012 will be left for the next (post-2012) Legco and Government. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Comment: Many pan-democrats remain disgruntled with the December 29 PRC National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) decision to defer full implementation of universal suffrage until 2017 at the earliest. They also suspect that CE Donald Tsang and the pro-establishment political parties not only will seek to minimize reform for the 2012 elections, but also will look to establish a form of "universal suffrage" that will preserve the non-democratic status quo to the greatest extent possible. Staunchly pro-democracy legislator Lee not only reflects these suspicions, but also -- as a member of the HKG's Commission on Strategic Development (CSD) for the past several years -- has grown increasingly frustrated with the cumbersome process of searching for consensus on democratization. At one point in 2006, Lee publicly threatened to resign from the CSD, describing it as a "useless organization." End Comment. Task Group: Slow Start, Short Timeframe -------------- ¶3. (C) At its initial meeting on February 28, the Hong Kong Government's newly formed "Task Group on Constitutional Development" did not reach any consensus regarding its two assigned tasks: proposing limited reforms for selection of the next CE in early 2012 and for the Legco election in late ¶2012. According to one member, pro-democracy legislator Lee Cheuk-yan, progress was constrained by the group's mandate to develop only "interim measures" for the 2012 elections, without consideration of how any proposed changes might affect subsequent reforms for elections beyond 2012. Lee complained that the HKG had needlessly set a very short timeframe for the TG, with just one meeting per month for the next four months; in Lee's words, "what's the rush?" He did not expect the TG to reach any consensus within that schedule. ¶4. (SBU) Also commenting after the meeting, HKG Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam - who leads the HKG's efforts in this area - told the press that the TG had gotten off to a "good start." He said plenty of time remained for the TG to complete its work. Drafting of revisions to the relevant clauses in Appendices I and II of the Basic Law (governing electoral procedures) would be completed by 2010, followed by submission of the changes to Legco for approval. The more fundamental and difficult issues concerning nomination structures and election procedures for elections beyond 2012 would be left for the next (post-2012) Legco and Government to address. Hong Kong Basic Law Committee member Lau Nai-keung, also a TG member, agreed with Lam's assessment, observing that there would only be small changes to the election procedures for 2012. Membership: Democrats a Small Minority -------------- ¶5. (SBU) On February 21, CE Tsang appointed 30 prominent Hong Kong residents to the TG, which is chaired by HKG Chief Secretary Henry Tang. Six pan-democrats were appointed: SIPDIS Civic Party leader and legislator Audrey Eu, Democratic Party (DP) legislator Lee Wing-tat, Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions legislator Lee Cheuk-yan, Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood secretary general Tam Kwok-kiu, DP member Law Chi-kwong, and Hong Kong Council of Social Service Chief Christine Fang. Well-known members from the pro-establishment camp include former Security Secretary HONG KONG 00000378 002 OF 002 and Legco candidate Regina Ip, barrister Alan Hoo, former Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) vice chair Maria Tam, Liberal Party chair James Tien, National People's Congress deputy Wong Kwok-kin, Basic Law Committee member Lau Nai-keung, and former DAB chair Jasper Tsang Yok-sing. ¶6. (SBU) Hong Kong CE Tsang announced creation of the TG, within the existing CSD, on December 29, 2007, when he publicly responded to the NPCSC decision to allow Hong Kong to proceed with electoral reform. The TG's "Terms of Reference" are as follows: "To study feasible options for electing the Chief Executive and for forming the Legislative Council in 2012, within the framework set out by the Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on 29 December 2007, with a view to laying a solid foundation for attaining universal suffrage for the Chief Executive in 2017 and for the Legislative Council in 2020." While strictly speaking the TG was established to discuss electoral reforms only for the 2012 elections, some pan-democratic members hope to broaden that mandate to include subsequent elections. The HKG expects the TG to complete its discussions by mid-2008, after which the HKG will consider and consolidate the results before holding another round of public consultations. Cunningham