CAB's response to tonight's rally
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In response to tonight's (May 4) rally, a spokesman for the Constitutional Affairs Bureau said, "The Constitutional Development Task Force is actively engaging the Hong Kong community to build consensus on broadening the scope for public participation in selecting the Chief Executive (CE) in 2007 and the Legislative Council in 2008.
He called on members of the public to give their views on the way forward for these two electoral systems before the period of consultation of the Task Force's Fourth Report was scheduled to end on May 31.
He said that the Task Force would endeavour to publish the Fifth Report in the latter half of this year, and complete the necessary legislative work before the election of the third-term CE in 2007.
The spokesman said, "In making the interpretation and decision in April 2004, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) was duly exercising the powers vested upon it by the Constitution and the Basic Law.
"While some people in Hong Kong support universal suffrage in 2007 and 2008, there are others who consider that constitutional development should proceed in a gradual and orderly manner.
"Now that the NPCSC has clarified the scope for changes for 2007 and 2008, we should make best use of the room available to broaden the scope for public participation in the elections and to enhance the representativeness of the two electoral systems, narrowing the distance between the existing arrangements and the ultimate aim of universal suffrage." he said.
Ends/Wednesday, May 4, 2005
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