Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08HONGKONG378
2008-02-29 08:56:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Consulate Hong Kong
Cable title:  

ELECTORAL REFORM TASK GROUP CONVENES, DEMOCRATS'

Tags:  PGOV PREL PINR PHUM CH HK 
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VZCZCXRO0830
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHHK #0378/01 0600856
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 290856Z FEB 08
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4244
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HONG KONG 000378 

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NOFORN
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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)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HONG KONG 000378

SIPDIS

NOFORN
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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:

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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