The proposal made by some "pro-democracy" legislators to conduct a referendum on the implementation of universal suffrage in 2007/08 would undermine the best interests of Hong Kong citizens and hinder the progress of local constitutional development, said a senior mainland official Monday.

Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong, Li Gang, made the remark after attending a luncheon organized by the Federation of Hong Kong Guangdong Community Organizations.

People who push for the referendum "are playing with fire and would get burned eventually", he said.

He urged the "democrat" lawmakers to respect and abide by the decision of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) regarding Hong Kong's constitutional development.

"The introduction of a referendum on universal suffrage apparently contravenes the relevant provisions stipulated under the Basic Law and the NPCSC's ruling on constitutional development in Hong Kong," Li said.

On April 26, NPCSC ruled out universal suffrage for the elections in 2007/08 and decided that constitutional development in the city should be gradual and orderly.

"Hong Kong people should pursue constitutional reform based on the legal framework set by the NPCSC's ruling and the Basic Law," Li said. He supported the SAR government's announcement to clarify that it would not stage a referendum on universal suffrage.

Before the Hong Kong government releases its fourth report on constitutional development by the year-end, the public, the "democrats" included, should express their views to the government taskforce headed by Chief Secretary Donald Tsang, Li said.

The SAR government and the liaison office will reflect their opinions to the central government, Li noted.

If people insisted on trying for something impossible, the result would only be failure, said Li, adding that people should contribute to maintain Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperity.

He stressed that the door for "democrats" to engage in communication with the central government was always open.

Also Monday, Executive Councillor Leung Chun-ying reiterated that local political development should be dealt with in line with the Basic Law.

Leung said "democrat" legislators should not treat the matter of local political development as a gimmick to canvass voters.

The government taskforce on constitutional development has received overwhelming responses to its third report regarding the issue.

The report listed possible areas for changing the electoral arrangements of the chief executive and Legislative Council (LegCo) in 2007 and 2008. Some areas included the expansion of the 800-strong Election Committee's size in selecting the chief executive and increasing the number of LegCo seats.

The referendum issue aroused heated debate and concern in the community after lawmaker Fernando Cheung, who represents the social welfare sector, proposed a motion on the matter at the Constitutional Affairs Panel Meeting in LegCo last month. Last week, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa said the suggestion of a referendum on universal suffrage is impractical and unrealistic.

(China Daily HK Edition November 9, 2004)