Hong Kong's Roman Catholic leader has thrown his support behind calls for a referendum on broadening democracy in the nominally-autonomous territory, despite opposition from the authorities in Hong Kong as well as the central government in Beijing.
The proposal was neither futile nor an attempt to be confrontational, Bishop Joseph Zen Ke-Kiun said in a phone interview Tuesday.
He added that if the Hong Kong government persisted in refusing to hold a referendum, he would examine ways in which the Catholic diocese could try to help facilitate a privately-run poll.
The former British colony returned to communist Chinese rule in 1997, under a "one country, two systems" pledge that it would enjoy considerable autonomy and retain its way of life for at least 50 years.
Pro-democracy campaigners want the people of Hong Kong to be able to directly elect their next leader after the incumbent leaves office in 2007. A pro-Beijing electoral college selected Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa for two consecutive terms.
Democrats also want the right to choose all of their lawmakers from 2008, unlike the current situation where only half of the 60 Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) members are directly elected.
The U.S. government supports the call for greater democracy.
Last April, however, the powerful Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) - China's parliament - controversially decreed that this was not going to happen anytime soon.
Calls for a referendum have been growing since pro-democracy candidates won 60 percent of the vote in LegCo elections last September. Because of the system in place, that majority translated into only 25 of the 60 seats.
Tung has already rejected the proposal, saying it would be inappropriate to try to change China's decision on the matter.
A government spokesman said a referendum would be a "needless distraction for the community," while an unnamed senior Chinese official cited by Beijing's Xinhua press agency agreed it would be a "waste of time."
Zen disagreed, however, saying any attempt to establish the views of Hong Kong's residents on the matter should be welcomed. He noted that the outcome of such a poll would not be binding.
"It should be a good thing to know how many people in Hong Kong are in favor of universal suffrage for 2007-2008," he added.
Zen said he acknowledged that the decision in the end was up to the LegCo, the chief executive and the NPC, "but before these three authorities do anything, they should listen to the people. They have excluded the people from any discussions."
The NPC committee's ruling, he charged, "had no foundation in law and is obviously against the spirit of 'one country, two systems.'"
Zen was puzzled at the authorities' view that the plan was both futile and antagonistic.
If the government persisted in ruling out a poll, the Catholic Church "would be happy to help" any non-government initiative to hold a private referendum.
Zen said it was too early to say exactly how the diocese could help, but noted that the church had "a very efficient Justice and Peace Commission [and] they can find ways to gather some help from other Catholic institutions."
Sensitivity
Analysts attribute Beijing's resolve to resist Hong Kong democrats' demands to fears that giving in may prompt protests for similar liberalization elsewhere in China.
China is also evidently sensitive about the very notion of a "referendum," which by definition bypasses state structures and provides a relatively accurate idea of the view of the people.
Another complicating factor relates to Taiwan, whose president, Chen Shui-bian, wants to draft a new constitution, put it to a referendum in 2006, and have it enacted two years later.
Beijing fears the planned referendum will lead to Taiwan's independence, which it has long vowed to prevent, by force if necessary.
China would like to see Taiwan return to the fold under a "one country, two systems" formula similar to the one governing Hong Kong's return. But the proposal is strongly resisted by Taiwanese - in part because of the experience of Hong Kong.
A Chinese newspaper this week quoted a Hong Kong cabinet minister as saying Beijing worried about a referendum plan and that some pro-democracy activists wanted Hong Kong to split off from China, like Taiwan.
Margaret Ng, a pro-democracy member of the LegCo, ascribed the sensitivity to the fact the term used by those proposing a referendum in Hong Kong -- "kung tao" -- was the same word used for the vote in Taiwan.
>From Zen's perspective, the poll does not necessarily have to be presented as a referendum.
"Whatever you call it - a referendum or just a more complete survey of the opinion of the people - I think there should be no serious objection," he said.
Zen declared himself not especially optimistic about developments in the territory.
"They [pro-Beijing parties] believe they have won the election and don't need to care too much about the people," he said. "That's very dangerous."
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