The BPA shares the public’s aspirations for the eventual achievement of universal suffrage in the 2017 CE election.
The “Anti-Occupy Central” petition has been launched in response to the wishes of the Hong Kong people for a peaceful and non-violent approach to universal suffrage in the 2017 Chief Executive (CE) election. Today (23 July), some 100 individuals comprising members of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) and representatives from the commercial, industrial, banking, securities, tourism and entertainment sectors handed in their petitions at a campaign booth on Pedder Street in Central.
Dr Peter Lam Kin-ngok, BPA Council Chairman, said that as the rule of law represents a core ideological principle in Hong Kong, it is in the general public’s interests that the path to democracy through one-person-one-vote be achieved through peaceful means. “As responsible citizens of Hong Kong, we signed the petition to say NO to ‘Occupy Central’,” he said.
Mr Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, BPA Chairman, said that “Occupy Central” would seriously disrupt daily routine and social order, which would in turn weaken our competitiveness and economic development. As the Government has begun consulting on achieving universal suffrage for the CE election in 2017, the BPA will strive to create the requisite conditions for realising Hong Kong people’s expectations, which it shares, on arrangements for the one-person-one-vote to elect the CE in 2017.
Mr Leung urged the Government to come up with specific proposals at the next round of consultation after LegCo reconvenes in October by which time the National People’s Congress Standing Committee would have unveiled its decision on the method for electing the CE. “We hope the community can return to the right track and find our own way (to attain universal suffrage) through rational discussion,” he said.
Mr Michael Wu, BPA member and Chairman of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, signed the petition together with more than ten representatives from the tourism sector. He said “Occupy Central” would deter tourists from visiting Hong Kong and seriously impinge on tourism and its workers. He added that the industry would launch a series of actions later to denounce the Occupy Central movement.
Members attending today’s petition also included LegCo Members, Mr Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, Mr Abraham Shek Lai-him and Mr Christopher Cheung Wah-fung. In addition, BPA District Councilors, including Mr Fong Ping, Chairman of the Kwai Tsing District Council, Mr Jimmy Kwok Chun-wah, Chairman of the Sham Shui Po District Council and many friends of the BPA also turned up to show their support. These included Mr Leo Kung Lin-cheng, Chairman of Ocean Park and Vice President of Bangkok Bank, Mr Suen Kwok-lam, Executive Director of Henderson Land, Mr Hung Cho-sing, Chairman of the Federation of Motion Film Producers of Hong Kong, and Mr Joseph Tung Yao-chung, Executive Director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong.
 The BPA team took the initiative to stand up and be counted in the “Anti-Occupy Central” signature campaign. |
 The BPA turned out in force to hand in their signatures at the “Anti-Occupy Central” on Pedder Street in Central. |
 Scores of BPA District Councilors and friends showed up in support of the campaign. |
|
Follow