Urgent need to begin discussion on the details of electoral reform in Hong Kong

The stalemate between the Occupy movement and the Hong Kong and Beijing governments does not bode well. To break the impasse, all sides will need to act.

First, Beijing may have to push the SAR government to come up with a concrete political reform consultation document. This should include several aspects: the method for democratising the composition of the nominating committee (including, for example, a change from some corporate voters to a wider franchise); the relaxation of the criteria, thus allowing pan-democratic candidates to enter the first round of nomination; and the technical details of how the final two to three candidates would be chosen to contest the election through universal suffrage.

Without such details, any possible dialogue between student leaders and pan-democrats on the one hand and the government on the other will be fruitless.

The Hong Kong government will have to put forward the consultation document as soon as possible, together with an announcement that a public opinion assessment office will be set up to collect views on a reform model. This would necessitate the appointment of a director who can command trust and respect in society, and who would lead a team of pollsters conducting opinion surveys in an authoritative and independent manner.

The Hong Kong government should also consider an appropriate response to the democrats' demands about the development of the Legislative Council.

It can use the consultation document to deal with legislative reform in at least two aspects: establishing a consultative committee on Legco reforms as soon as possible, and a promise to consider introducing a bicameral legislature.