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The recent passing away of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher not only brought back memories of the marathon talks between China and Britain over the handover of Hong Kong that took place during her term of office, but also, more importantly, reminded us that the willingness to find common ground through rational dialogues is always the key to success in resolving differences. For, without the good faith of both Beijing and London to settle their differences over Hong Kong's future at the negotiation table, the eventual conclusion of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the Basic Law, and even the peaceful and orderly handover of Hong Kong in 1997 would not have been possible.

As recently the territory is once again undergoing another heated debate over the arrangements for the 2017 Chief Executive election and the controversies surrounding it have been further fueled by the proposed "Occupy Central" movement, the death of Margaret Thatcher and our reflection on the way she handled the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong back in the 1980's can perhaps offer us some insight as to how we can find our way forward amid the current political gridlock.

Finding common ground is the key

Based upon my observation so far, the present political tensions in Hong Kong are largely rooted in the uncompromising attitudes among the conflicting sides across our political spectrum over how our roadmap to universal suffrage should be drawn up. The recent threat made by a few academics and politicians to paralyze Central in order to achieve their own political motives is by no means a sensible option to facilitate a successful negotiation process.

First, the "Occupy Central" action may result in chaos for which the advocates won't be able to deny responsibility by arguing that they did not foresee the consequences, given that there were already numerous cases in the past in which serious clashes broke out between angry protesters and members of the public who were dismayed or disrupted by these acts.

Second, the "Occupy Central" action, once carried out, will inevitably come into conflict with public interest because the majority of the public are unlikely to approve any politically motivated act that is intended to cause social disorder. Of course I respect the freedom of expression, but not at the expense of others, particularly the reckless moves they proposed are likely to cause serious public nuisance, or even widespread disruptions to normal business operations, the stock market, public transport network, and even police services.

Hotheadedness will not help

I am anything but convinced these proposed actions are representative of the true essence of democracy, nor do I believe they are the only feasible and acceptable way through which we can achieve universal suffrage. Imagine this: on any given morning, thousands of our fellow law-abiding citizens from all walks of life who are on their way to work or to school as usual are suddenly stranded by this "Occupy Central" action, whether they like it or not. Is it simply fair to them? In fact, while there are radicals and diehards who choose to shut their door for negotiations totally, there are also many who are looking forward to settling the current political tie-up through smooth and rational dialogues.

There is no such thing as a perfect model when it comes to election arrangements, but instead, I believe a model able to weave together the mostly accepted ideas and everyone's key concerns through the dynamic process of consensus building is a good one. I am gravely concerned about the obstacles it might cause to our political reform process and how our society might split further if members of the opposition remain stubbornly resistant to any other option and insist that their proposal is the only viable and acceptable one. What is at stake is not only our law and order, but also Hong Kong's long-standing and hard-earned reputation as an international commercial and financial center. That is why I urge the opposition to be more receptive to new ideas and be more open-minded in exploring alternative options.

Hong Kong is now definitely at a crossroads in the course of its constitutional development, and it is my sincere hope that all stakeholders can come to the negotiation table and show good faith in finding common ground under the framework of the Basic Law. It certainly takes courage, wisdom and an open mind, rather than hotheadedness, confrontations and squabbles, to make real progress on our way towards universal suffrage.

The author is a legislative councilor.

(HK Edition 04/17/2013 page7)