Madam President,

It is disappointing that no specific proposals nor time-tables are provided in the Fourth Report of the Constitutional Development Task Force following rounds of public consultation and despite repeated requests from this Council and the public in the last few years. The divergence of views summarised in the report affords the government with a good excuse for procrastination. The absence of any viable options or time frame in the report may likely invite more generalised rather than specific views from the public on how the methods for selecting the Chief Executive and for forming the Legislative Council.

Given the fact that the National People's Congress Standing Committee(NPCSC) has already ruled out universal suffrage in 2007 and 2008, we should focus on the best way forward for achieving universal suffrage in accordance with the Basic Law.

As far as I can see, there may not be unresolvable problems to elect the Chief Executive by universal suffrage in 2007 with a well-designed nominating procedure. Though the above mentioned ruling of the NPCSC has disappointed many Hong Kong people and it is clear that it must be followed, it has not discouraged me from seeking its implementation in 2012, which will be the earliest possible date without violating the NPCSC ruling. Indeed, this is what I have included in my 2004 LegCo Election platform.

Even the first election of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage is held in 2012 instead of 2007, requirements for the nomination of CE candidates should be relaxed in due course whenever practicalities of the actual situation allow and in accordance with the principle of gradual and orderly progress stipulated in Article 45 of the Basic Law

With regard to the election of the Legislative Council, I am of the view that functional constituency (F.C.) seats should be retained, as F.C. representatives have an important role to play in this Council for the foreseeable future. Besides providing their expert advice on related subjects, F.C. representatives tend to offer more balanced views on a wide range of issues based on their professional opinions and experience rather than politically inclined considerations. Their presence will also provide an important stabilising force in this Council to ensure a smooth transition in the light of actual situation to achieve the ultimate aim of electing all its members by universal suffrage, as stipulated in Article 68 of the Basic Law.

For the same consideration, the 50% composition of F.C. seats in the LegCo should remain unchanged pending on the subsequently agreed election arrangements in the future. Indeed, in accordance with the interpretation of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the ratio of LegCo members returned by functional constituencies to those returned by geographical constituencies by direct election should remain as 50% each unchanged for the 2008 LegCo Election. Therefore, the F. C. seats can be increased or decreased according to this ratio. But reducing or merging existing F.C. seats will definitely create problems amongst the existing F.C.s. Nevertheless, increasing F.C. seats is not problem-free either as different sectors will fight for the newly created seats. The issue must be handled with great caution.

In the meantime, the electorate base of functional constituencies, be it corporate voting or individual voting, should be broadened to ensure their representativeness. With regard to the engineering constituency, I will consult my constituents in due course to seek their opinions on the expansion of the electorate to include graduates and associate members of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.

As laid down in Articles 45 and 68 of the Basic Law, the methods for selecting the Chief Executive and for forming the Legislative Council shall be specified in the light of the actual situation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and in accordance with the principle of gradual and orderly progress.

Madam President, we must observe this principle in our pursuit of achieving universal suffrage. With these remarks, I so submit.