Hong Kong should fulfil its legal obligations to China to better safeguard its own freedoms
Grenville Cross says it’s time for the city’s secretary for justice to tackle several thorny issues that have strained Hong Kong-mainland relations – border control arrangements for the high-speed railway, national security legislation and cross-border legal cooperation on criminal matters
Dear Secretary for Justice, Please accept my congratulations on your reappointment. Although you will, reportedly, not see out your term, long-standing mainland issues now require your urgent attention.
You are, of course, already closely involved in the co-location issue. The proposed presence of mainland officials at the West Kowloon terminus, to conduct checks for the new cross-border express rail link, is clearly based on sound, practical considerations. We all want this remarkable project to succeed, and similar arrangements work well in other parts of the world. You must not be deflected from taking sensible decisions on this innovative scheme by the short-sightedness of some legislators.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam calls for national security law push, but no clear time frame
Your biggest challenge, however, will be to promote the early implementation of national security laws. The Basic Law’s Article 23 requires Hong Kong to prohibit treason, secession, sedition or subversion against the central people’s government, and our government must finally demonstrate its bona fides.
If, 20 years after reunification, nothing is done, it will tell the rest of China not only that Hong Kong cannot be trusted to honour its Basic Law obligations, but also that its government is impotent.
Although your predecessor, Wong Yan-lung, did nothing on Article 23 during his seven years in office, content to pass this hot potato on, you must not emulate his example.
Hong Kong does need to revisit Article 23 – not to criminalise calls for independence, but to modernise our outdated sedition laws
