CCTV9英语新闻：基本法律不得随意变更（在线收听）

It took more than five years to compile the Basic Law before it was approved in 1990. According to Tam Yiu-chung, a member of Hong Kong's Legislative Council and one of the Basic Law's original drafters, the document was carefully crafted to stand the test of time, and should not be changed arbitrarily. 

Tam was one of the 23 people from Hong Kong, who joined a team of 36 people from the Chinese mainland, tasked with compiling the Basic Law back in 1985. 

He believes current problems with the city's political system and social development can still be solved by the Law.

Reflecting on memories of the drafting process, Tam said the drafters from the mainland and Hong Kong worked together toward a common goal.

"I felt, during the drafting process, we drafters from the two sides, made tremendous progress in exploring ways to cooperate to resolve issues, and realized a smooth transition as historic issues unfolded and evolved," he said.

Tam also said there were no major disputes about universal suffrage when the Basic Law was being drafted. 

The 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration stipulated that the selection of Hong Kong's chief executive should be through consultation or election. This was realized in the Basic Law through universal suffrage. 

However, considering the extreme importance of this position, Tam said, the drafting committee agreed, the chief executive should not be randomly chosen and should have the approval of the Central Government. Tam added that this selection and approval process is more than just symbolic.

Questions have recently come up about how restricted the chief executive selection should be, with some going so far as to propose citizen nominations.

But Tam said, when the Basic Law was being drafted, none of the drafters from the mainland or Hong Kong even mentioned "citizen nominations". 

He said the only reason this has become a contested issue now, is that some people are intentionally misleading Hong Kong citizens. 

"Some are trying to mislead people in Hong Kong on purpose, and what they really want is to gain what they failed to grasp back in days of drafting the Basic Law. But they will fail because it is not possible to discard what has been written in the law. They should remember that advancing democracy is not about chanting slogans. Concrete things should be done to boost citizens' confidence. And I think it would be too far if someone only pushes democracy to get power and out of fear they can't be elected through the Basic Law," said Tam Yiu-chung, member of HKSAR Basic Law Drafting Committee.

Tam explained that the SAR government's range of powers and degree of autonomy are all prescribed in the Basic Law, stressing that although Hong Kong has been afforded a "high degree of autonomy" by the Central Government, it does not equal "absolute autonomy". 

Tam said the Basic Law has been a concrete foundation for ruling Hong Kong since the territory was returned to China in 1997. He underscored that there was neither need nor justification now to change the Basic Law.