Please use a Javascript-enabled browser. 070715en01002
news.gov.hk  
 From Hong Kong's Information Services Department
*
July 15, 2007
*
*

Constitutional development

*
Gov't values opinion polls on Green Paper
*

The Government will pay close attention to the opinion polls universities and other organisations conduct on its Green Paper on Constitutional Development, to find out if the options gain support from 60% of the people, Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam says.

 

He said political parties should actively participate in the discussions, and people have just begun to express their views and will continue to show their responses.

 

Mr Lam said today Hong Kong people adopt a pragmatic and serious approach to universal suffrage. He believed a consensus can be reached if the people and political parties can work together towards the same target.

 

The Government will visit the District Councils, organise seminars, and meet with groups to collect opinions in the following three months, Mr Lam said.

 

He said the Government has two objective principles to assess people's support to an option, which is whether it can gain support from two-thirds of lawmakers, and 60% of the people as shown in opinion polls.

 

The Government values individual's opinions, but it must assess people's overall opinions through the Legislative Council and opinion polls, he added.