Despite the best efforts at reassurance by officials, yesterday's publication of the consultation paper on Article 23 will inevitably create more than a stir - both here and abroad.
The mere fact that Article 23 has been given top priority by the new ruling team in its five-year policy plan is intriguing to human rights activists, if not the person in the street.
Certainly, the recent sense of urgency to satisfy the Basic Law provision has been in sharp contrast with the seemingly relaxed attitude of the Hong Kong and central governments towards Article 23 since the handover.
Yesterday, Secretary for Security Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee warned of a 'big loophole' in the legal system unless Article 23 was turned into law. She echoed an assertion made by the pro-Beijing newspaper Wen Wei Po in its editorial yesterday that 'the Basic Law will not be fully implemented so long as the legislation on Article 23 remains unresolved'.
More importantly, the daily cited one of the three wishes expressed by President Jiang Zemin in his speech on the July 1 fifth anniversary of the handover.
'Our Hong Kong compatriots are not only masters of the Hong Kong SAR, but also of the country,' said Mr Jiang. 'They should, therefore, keep enhancing their sense of the country and of the nation, make conscious efforts to safeguard the security and unification of the motherland and endeavour to defend its overall interests.'
Not to be outdone, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa also emphasised that 'it is the community's collective duty to protect national security'.