By DPA
Hong Kong : Hundreds of pro-democracy protestors gathered in central Hong Kong Saturday in response to the news that Beijing had rejected calls for full democracy by 2012.
The group of around 800 marched to the convention centre where mainland officials were to brief community representatives on the decision by China National People’s Congress (NPC) ruling out the direct election of Hong Kong’s leader until 2017 and of lawmakers until 2020.
The decision, announced Saturday, backed up a blueprint for political reform drawn up by Hong Kong’s China-appointed Chief Executive Donald Tsang.
The news came as no surprise to many democratic activists in Hong Kong, who had hoped for direct elections by 2012 and who took to the streets in protest Saturday.
Emily Lau, a spokesperson for the pro-democracy camp, said they were very angry at the decision to block direct elections in 2012, which she said was the overwhelming desire of many in Hong Kong.
“It is very sad to see the NPC Standing Committee coming out time and time again to block the wishes of Hong Kong people,” she said.
Speaking at a press conference following the announcement, Tsang called the NPC’s decision an important step for Hong Kong’s constitutional development.
“The timetable for attaining universal suffrage has been set,” he said. “Hong Kong is entering a most important chapter in its constitutional history.”
Only half of Hong Kong’s legislators are currently directly elected and there is no popular vote for the chief executive, who is chosen by an 800-member mostly pro-China election committee.
Hong Kong, which reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 after 156 years as a British colony, is technically entitled to full democracy from 2007 under the terms of its mini-constitution.
However, China, while saying universal suffrage is the ultimate goal for Hong Kong, is known to be deeply uneasy about the pro-democracy movement in the city of 6.9 million.
Tsang said that in coming to its decision, the NPC Standing Committee demonstrated clearly that the central government attached great importance to the wishes of Hong Kong people.
“We should all cherish this opportunity and forge a consensus together in a rational, pragmatic and inclusive manner,” he said.
However Tsang also acknowledged the contentious nature of the universal suffrage issue and called for the conflict between different political camps to come to an end.
“If emotional debate and conflict between political parties drags on over this matter, Hong Kong’s stability and development will be severely hampered,” he said.
“I urge everyone, with utmost sincerity, to bring an end to such unnecessary contention, and to move towards reconciliation and consensus,” he said.
“The NPC Standing Committee has taken the most important step for implementing universal suffrage. Now, it is up to the people of Hong Kong to take matters forward,” he said.
A task group on constitutional development would be set up as soon as possible to study this issue, Tsang said.
“Our aim is to settle the two electoral methods for 2012 within the tenure of the third-term HKSAR government. We hope that this will lay a solid foundation for attaining universal suffrage for the Chief Executive in 2017, and for the Legislative Council in 2020,” he said.