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Seminar on Constitutional Development
(11 June 2004)
Summing Up by Dr Philemon Choi
(Translation)
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I thought that the atmosphere of today's seminar was enthusiastic and harmonious. The debate was conducted in a rational manner.
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I agreed with Mr. Lee Luen-fai that many participants came well-prepared in the sense that they set out their views in writing. Some of them even handed in their written submissions. This was a good sign because I believed that we should think more. The Task Force needed more people to put forth specific views and proposals.
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I would like to thank the Constitutional Development Task Force and the Central Policy Unit for holding these two seminars which provided a platform for participation by many people. For example, in my group, there were people from different sectors, ranging from people with ordinary background to the middle class, the academia, District Council members, the democratic
camp and other political bodies. I hoped that this kind of seminar would continue to be organized.
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However, I believe that, we should not just wait for the Government to provide such platform, the community could also do so. I was responsible for youth affairs and would certainly provide many platforms for the younger generation to express their views. The participants who advocated the introduction of a new constituency for mothers might also consider providing
platforms to gather views from mothers and housewives. This would help spread today's atmosphere, and the community could accommodate different views in a rational manner.
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In his opening remarks, the Chief Secretary said that it was our shared vision to maintain the core values of Hong Kong. The means for achieving this end could be further discussed. But there were certain things we would continue to uphold. As was made clear earlier, this included enhancing legitimacy, representativeness and participation, as well as moving towards the
ultimate goal of electing the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council by universal suffrage. The people of Hong Kong would be proud of Hong Kong not only on the economic and cultural fronts, but also on the political front.
(Please refer to the video recording for the floor speech.)
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