Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip rejects calls for political and electoral reforms, saying ‘emotions are high and mutual mistrust runs deep’
- Patrick Nip says restarting reforms at this time would be ‘irresponsible’
- But dodges question about whether he and other city leaders should resign
Hong Kong’s constitutional affairs minister has dismissed calls to restart political reforms and introduce universal suffrage in the city, calling the demands “irresponsible”.
Nip said on a radio programme on Saturday morning that “it would be an irresponsible act for me as the minister with such responsibilities, to rashly restart political reforms under the current chaotic political environment where emotions run high and mutual mistrust runs deep.”
It would be an irresponsible ... to rashly restart political reforms under the current chaotic political environment
He said for that for the last two years he had urged pan-democratic lawmakers to engage with Beijing officials on political reforms – but they had been reluctant to do so.
Nip condemned the violence that has broken out at recent protests, and said those who defaced the Chinese national emblem and tossed the national flag into Victoria Harbour had challenged the “one country, two systems”.
