The Hong Kong SAR government is concentrating its efforts on revision of the electoral arrangements of the chief executive in 2007 and the Legislative Council in 2008.

The government does not have any universal suffrage timetable for the time being, said Secretary for Constitutional Development Stephen Lam, but it seeks to work out a road map on the issue through discussions by the governance and political development subgroup of the expanded Commission on Strategic Development.

Lam was responding to a question by the Democratic Party's Cheung Man-kwong on the timetable and road map to universal suffrage in the Legislative Council yesterday.

In his reply, Lam said he noted different opinions with regard to the universal suffrage timetable in the fourth report of the Constitutional Development Task Force. While some suggested 2012, some said 2017 or later and some even suggested the central government should reconsider 2007 and 2008 as the years for "double universal suffrage".

In view of the diverse opinions and lack of consensus in society, the government will concentrate on the 2007, 2008 electoral methods and strive for the biggest democratic progress within the framework of the National People's Congress decision on April 26, 2004. But the government will include the questions of universal suffrage timetable and road map in the agenda of the governance and political development subgroup of the Commission on Strategic Development.

"We can decide on political development beyond 2007 and 2008 if we act in accordance with the Basic Law and if there is consensus between Beijing and Hong Kong, but the decision is not one that Hong Kong can make on its own," Lam stressed.

(China Daily HK Edition November 3, 2005)