Mainland trip for pan-democrats to have dialogue with Beijing on reform 'may be possible'
Claim that HK government is looking into a lawmakers' trip to mainland gives rise to hope
Talks between Beijing and pan-democrats ahead of a key legislative vote on electoral reform may be possible as a senior government official is said to be exploring the feasibility of arranging a mainland trip for all lawmakers.
Pan-democratic lawmakers are not optimistic, however, describing the revelation as merely a government tactic to "test the waters" to see how keen they are on dialogue.
They said neither Hong Kong officials nor messengers for Beijing had spoken to them about it, although the Legislative Council had only weeks to go before voting on the government's reform proposal in summer.
The possibility of a dialogue was held out by lawmaker Wong Kwok-kin, of the Beijing-loyalist Federation of Trade Unions.
"A senior government official has consulted several pro-establishment lawmakers recently on whether we would agree to a visit by all 70 lawmakers to the mainland," Wong said.
"It doesn't look like a random suggestion. I believe that official came to us with some kind of endorsement," though the person did not reveal details about the timing or the names of Beijing officials who might meet them.
Legco is expected to vote late next month on the model for the 2017 chief executive poll. The government's plan adheres strictly to Beijing's ruling that only two or three candidates who win majority support from a nominating committee will contest the race. Talks to thrash out differences over the plan could have taken place last month when Basic Law Committee chairman Li Fei visited the city, but a joint pledge by all 27 pan-democratic legislators to vote down the package unless the ruling was scrapped, followed by Li's cancellation of the trip, put paid to that. The government is short of at least four votes for Legco to pass its package.
Pan-democrats who five years ago held talks with Beijing officials on reform for the 2012 Legco poll were pessimistic about the political climate.
"The current atmosphere is entirely different from that in 2010," said Labour Party stalwart Lee Cheuk-yan, who was invited to the central government's liaison office for the talks at the time.
"There were more middlemen and lobbying going on back then, and you could still see a glimmer of hope despite Beijing's tough stance."
The unprecedented dialogue, which took place in the second half of May 2010, resulted in the passage of a compromise package that allowed 3.2 million voters to elect five new lawmakers.
"This time, everything looks set to be cast in stone already," Lee said. "It seems both sides are prepared for any possible deal to collapse."
Lee, whose permit to visit the mainland has been forfeited, said his party would welcome a dialogue, but he would not take part in any one-off mainland trip.
Accountancy sector lawmaker Kenneth Leung said his fellow pan-democratic lawmakers confirmed yesterday they had not received any invitation or heard of anything akin to Wong's revelation.
"Apparently Beijing is trying to test our reactions on the suggested trip," Leung said. "I don't think it would happen unless Beijing ditched its framework."
Helena Wong Pik-wan, of the Democratic Party, said: "I have not seen Beijing acknowledging any suggestions floated so far by us - even the moderate voices."
Wong was invited to attend the talks in 2010, when she was not yet a lawmaker, on behalf of a moderate pro-democracy platform, the Alliance for Universal Suffrage.
A government source close to the matter said the administration had been working on pan-democrats' requests for a dialogue with Beijing, but could not confirm any details yet.
