New push to revive Article 23 legislation
The controversial proposal to bring in a national security law for Hong Kong is being revived by a Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress.
Peter Wong Man-kong, a veteran member of the NPC, plans to table a submission during the state legislature's annual plenary session in Beijing next month, urging the city to make laws against subversion as soon as possible.
Wong said Hong Kong should resume discussion on Article 23 of the Basic Law. Macau enacted its national security law last year.
'Our neighbour [Macau] was handed over [to China] two years later than we were and yet it has completed the legislation earlier than we have,' Wong said. 'Why do we still stick with disputes? If people disagree with the contents of the government's legislative proposal, they can raise their views in the discussion.'
He said Hongkongers should not underestimate the need for an anti-subversion law.
'Terrorism has become a global issue. Would terrorists from Xinjiang , Tibet and foreign countries use our city as a base for their activities? Hong Kong is a very vulnerable place.'
After Macau's Legislative Assembly passed its law last February, concern was raised in Hong Kong on whether the government would be under pressure to follow suit.
While state leaders have openly praised Macau for its legislation, the Hong Kong administration has not announced any timetable to reintroduce the politically sensitive bill.
The legislative proposal was shelved in 2003 after an estimated 500,000 people took to the streets amid fears of limits on freedom of expression.
Article 23 says the Hong Kong government shall enact laws to prohibit acts of treason, secession, sedition and subversion against the central government, or theft of state secrets.
Wong said he would raise the idea for discussion among local NPC deputies and he might submit a joint proposal if colleagues shared his view. While such a proposal would be non-binding, the relevant departments of the central government are expected to respond to the deputies on matters they raise in two or three months.
Priscilla Lau Pui-king, another local NPC member, said she would have to study Wong's proposal before deciding whether to support it. 'It is very difficult to launch the legislation now,' she said referring to the local political atmosphere.
Another deputy, Ma Fung-kwok, said it would be up to the Hong Kong government to consider when it should relaunch the legislation.
A spokesman for the Security Bureau said it had no timetable. 'In considering the way forward for Hong Kong's Basic Law Article 23 legislative exercise, the Hong Kong government will certainly communicate with all sectors of the community, with a view to securing the community's understanding and consensus on the future legislative proposals.'
Political commentator Johnny Lau Yui-siu said he believed the government would not push such a thorny issue now, amid another controversial discussion on constitutional reforms. 'But this may be a tactic to keep the Article 23 discussion going. Even if this proposal is not addressed this year, it can be raised again next year. It is paving the way for [chief executive] Donald Tsang [Yam-kuen] to deal with the matter before his term ends in 2012.'
