IT is imprudent to rush new anti-discrimination legislation through the Legislative Council because that would prevent thorough public debate, a senior official said yesterday.
Secretary for Home Affairs Michael Suen Ming-yeung said the Government shared the legislators' objective of addressing the problem of discrimination in the territory but he maintained legislative measures could not be adopted hastily.
'It would not be prudent to legislate hastily without first giving the public a chance to examine the problems, analyse the policy options and assess their implications,' he said.
Anti-discrimination legislation was a new area of law in Hong Kong and no one was sure about its widespread implications.
Legislators are trying to revive comprehensive equal opportunities legislation, introduced by former councillor Anna Wu Hung-yuk last year, in this session.
Concern groups and human rights bodies have also joined the call for the Government to legislate against discrimination against homosexuals and single parents.
