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Interpretation on Hong Kong independence is unnecessary, former justice minister Elsie Leung says
Elsie Leung Oi-sie chimes in on March leadership election during radio interview
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With localists bent on a radical agenda among Hong Kong’s newly elected lawmakers due to be sworn in next week, a former justice minister has ruled out the need for Beijing to step in and reinterpret the Basic Law, as the city has enough legal firepower under its mini-constitution to take on calls for independence.
Elsie Leung Oi-sie, currently vice-chairwoman of the Basic Law Committee under the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, said it would be better to handle the issue locally than take the politically sensitive and problematic route.
“We have not seen any behaviour by the newly elected lawmakers or members of the public that renders interpretation of any Basic Law provision necessary,” Leung said in the first Legco Review show on RTHK hosted by former Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing.
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She added: “I hope these matters can be resolved locally.”
Seven localists demanding self-determination for the city’s future were elected as lawmakers last month, with the high number of votes they secured underscoring a new wave of political thinking among the city’s youth.
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