In a commentary, Assistant Professor of Law Shubhankar Dam proposed a solution to the controversy on the appropriate method of electing the chief executive, which has caused the ongoing protests in Hong Kong. He suggested that introducing the "None of the Above Option" (NOTA) within the existing elections arrangement would imply that Beijing has the authority to pre-approve candidates, but Hong Kong voters retain the right to formally register their rejection of all these candidates on the ballot paper. The arrangement neatly acknowledges Hong Kong's simultaneous connection to and distinctiveness from China. He added that perhaps the rule should be different in Hong Kong: if NOTA polls the most number of votes in 2017, it could be taken to mean that permanent residents have rejected Beijing's choices and a re-election must be held with new nominations.