要求政府對話及和平解決政治危機的聯署聲明 Urging Government Accountability for Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of the Crisis

要求政府對話及和平解決政治危機的聯署聲明
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我們是一群服務香港的專業人士，部份是特首選舉的選舉委員。我們除了支持無篩選的真普選之外，亦重視法治和社會的核心價值。我們希望政府和學生透過對話，可以早日達成協議，讓社會重回正常運作。

政府在10月21日與學生對話時作出的承諾，其實是政府向全港市民作出的公開承諾。包括
1. 政府探討成立一個多方平台，討論長遠政制發展；
2. 政府向北京提交民情報告，交代8月底至今包括學界對政改的意見；
3. 在第二輪政改諮詢中，在提名程序及選舉方法等，與各界尋找最大的政治空間；
4. 2017年普選方案並非終局，日後若有需要可再啟動五部曲。

作為市民的一份子，我們看到政府在與學生會面後，除了約見建制派議員放出消息指快將進行第二階段諮詢之外，並沒有讓我們看到什麼實質的工作進展，反而指責學聯在上次對話後立場變得更強硬，表示暫時不存在對話空間，及指警方將要準備採取拘捕行動。

政府不但關上與學聯對話之門，亦事實上拒絕向市民就10月21日的承諾作出進一步的交待。因此，我們要求政府就組建對話平台，與及向北京提交民情報告等事，向社會作出交待。我們呼籲政府展現與學聯對話的誠意，政府亦應該與泛民主派的立法會議員，甚至是與我們一群選舉委員專業朋友，乃至社會各界對話，以期解決政治困局。

我們特別重申和平理性，與及政治問題應該政治解決的重要性。無論是對佔中人士，反佔中人士，與及警隊，我們認為各方應該克制，與及不採用任何形式的暴力行徑，以達到其政治上，或許工作上的目的。我們亦呼籲佔領人士，對有關部門執行法庭禁制令，予以合作。

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Urging Government Accountability for Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of the Crisis
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We are a group of professionals in Hong Kong and some of us are members of Election Committee for the Chief Executive 2012. We not only support universal suffrage without political screening, but also respect the rule of law and other core values. We hope that the Government and the students can reach an agreement through dialogue as soon as possible, and that our community is able to get back to its normal peaceful order.

On 21st October the Government met with students and made a commitment to settle their differences. The commitment has been deemed a sincere promise made by a responsible government to our community as a whole. It includes:
1. The setting up of a dialogue platform for long term constitutional reform;
2. Government will submit a report to Beijing regarding public sentiments after the 31st August decision;
3. In the second round consultation on constitutional reform, the Government, together with the community, will put effort in seeking maximum latitude for further development; and
4. 2017 universal suffrage is not meant to be an end point, and the five-step constitutional reform can be re-launched if needed.

Unfortunately, we are not aware of any further progress in the Government camp other than meeting with the pro-establishment legislators and pronouncing that the second phase consultation is soon to start. We have also heard accusations from the Government that students were getting more confrontational and thus leaving no room for further dialogue, and that the police are gearing up for mass arrest.

In our view, it is the Government which has closed the door on dialogue with the students. In fact, they have refused to explain to the public the progress of the commitments made on 21st October, particularly, in the setting up of a platform for dialogue and the progress of the public sentiment report to Beijing. We reiterate that the Government is accountable to the public and should maintain an active dialogue with students, with legislators of pan-democratic camp, with professionals and other members of the community, with an ultimate aim to resolve this political crisis.

In particular, we reiterate the importance of dealing with this crisis by a peaceful and rational approach. Political issues should always be resolved by political means. We urge all concerned parties, the occupants, the anti-occupant groups, and the police, to observe maximum restraint and not use any form of violence to serve political or administrative aims. We also urge the occupants to be cooperative when the authorities enforce any Court Order.