the community, the Executive Council approved the implementation on 20 October 2009. Appropriations for the project of $64 billion were passed by the Legislative Council on 16 January 2010 with the objections of the pro-democracy legislators. 2012 constitutional reform The Tsang administration launched the proposals for electoral reform for the 2012 Chief Executive and Legislative Council elections in November 2009 which largely similar to the 2005 proposals. To oppose the proposal, five pan-democrat legislators resigned from the Legislative Council to trigger a territory-wide by-election in which they campaigned as the "Five Constituencies Referendum" for universal suffrage and the abolition of the functional constituencies. Following the by-election, the government stepped up efforts to gain support for the reform package. It commissioned two television advertisements which emphasised the need to move forwards with democratisation. Tsang began to campaign via radio interviews, and he and his ministers took to the streets to mobilise support. On the weekend of 29/30 May, Tsang and his ministers toured Hong Kong on an unpublicised itinerary to deliver flyers and meet the public. Tsang described as "myths" which surrounded the proposals – that it is regressive, it makes little difference whether it is passed or not, and that ordinary people are not concerned by political developments. He said they were "the first step as well as the last opportunity" to lay the foundation for a chief executive elected by universal suffrage in 2017. He expressed his fear that "a mood of pessimism and cynicism will take root" if there was no progress this time. Tsang also invited Audrey Eu of the Civic Party, the spokesperson of the "Five Constituencies Referendum" to a one-hour televised debate on 17 June. Pundits were unanimous that Eu had trounced Tsang in the debate, with the University of Hong Kong poll showed that 45% of people were "more opposed" to the government's proposals after the debate, while 20% said they were more supportive. The central government made a U-turn on the moderate democrats' modified proposal tabled by the Democratic Party on 19 June, after South China Morning Post (SCMP) revealed that Donald Tsang had written a letter the previous week to Xi Jinping, vice-president in charge of Hong Kong affairs. "The chief executive warned in the letter that Hong Kong could face a serious governance crisis if the electoral reform package was vetoed by Legco again, and his ability to govern Hong Kong