Patrick Ho, deputy chairman of China Energy Fund Committee, is formerly Secretary of Home Affairs in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government. [Photo by Chen Weihua / China Daily USA]

Ho noted that people have a short memory because they forget how they felt under the British rule before 1997. "The British never considered democracy for Hong Kong's universal suffrage," he said, adding that even the Sino-British joint declaration did not mention universal suffrage and democracy.

"That was the central government of China that has made such provisions in the Basic Law," Ho said.

While some people have accused the package for the selection of candidates for the 2017 chief executive election of being false democracy and not up to the international standards, Ho said there is no international standard regarding universal suffrage.

"Every country does the universal suffrage in different ways," he said, citing the US binary system of electoral vote and popular vote. In 2000 election, Al Gore won the popular vote but lost in the more important electoral vote, a phenomenon that triggers a lot debate both inside and outside the US.

He described the Hong Kong package as universal suffrage with Chinese characteristics and necessary for national security concern. The universal suffrage package for 2017 stipulates that candidates must be patriotic, love China and love Hong Kong.

Ho noted that he is aware of reports about foreign involvement in funding Occupy Central, noting that the tens of thousands of yellow umbrellas and other equipment and logistic arrangement as a concerted effort that has been planned way ahead of time.

Ho does not believe that Occupy Central can last too long, citing stamina, organization and sustainability in material and spirit as vital to a prolonged action.

"And I don't think those provisions are readily at hand at this time," he said.

"What we really should do is to wait it out and to exercise constraint, and also at the same time urge the silent majority to come out and formulate a stand, a position against Occupy Central,"

"And in so doing, the voice of Hong Kong people will be heard, and the government will be exercising what the majority people of Hong Kong want," Ho said.

chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com