The government's push to have Article 23 laws passed by Wednesday appears to have hit a wall of political resistance The government may have to postpone the passage of its controversial national security legislation after a key legislative ally said yesterday it favoured a delay until December. Liberal Party leader James Tien Pei-chun announced his party's new position on his return from Beijing, where he held discussions with central government officials in charge of Hong Kong affairs. Mr Tien, a member of the Executive Council, left in the middle of an urgent council meeting on Thursday afternoon and flew to Beijing for talks with Liao Hui, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. On his return from Beijing last night, Mr Tien said he had been given a clear indication that the central leadership insisted only that the law be enacted, and that it did not have any views on its details or the timetable for its passage. 'While enacting Article 23 is a must, the question of how and when is within Hong Kong's autonomy,' he said. Mr Tien said he had already proposed to Mr Tung that he defer the bill until December. Mr Tien said the chief executive had been aware of his trip to Beijing. He said his party would move an adjournment to defer the bill's second and third readings if the government insisted on going ahead with the vote next week. The change of heart by the Liberals, who command a decisive eight votes on the anti-subversion bill, has significantly affected the balance of power in the Legislative Council and forced many independents to rethink how they will vote. Welcoming the Liberals' change of heart, Democratic Party leader Yeung Sum said he believed there would be enough votes to suspend the bill at the second reading even if the government snubbed the call. But he disagreed with the December deadline set by the Liberals. Under Legco rules of procedure, any attempt by lawmakers to suspend the bill's passage will have to win majority support from two groups: the 30 legislators returned from functional constituencies and the 30 representing geographical constituencies and the election committee. The pro-democracy camp has already secured enough votes in the second group. The eight votes of the Liberals have buoyed the chances of getting a suspension through the first group as well, Dr Yeung said. At least six others in the functional constituencies are expected to vote for adjourning the bill, including three Democrats, health representative Michael Mak Kwok-fung, legal representative Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee and Raymond Ho Chung-tai of the engineering sector. The Chief Executive's Office last night said Mr Tung would continue to listen to views and a decision would be made as soon as possible. Earlier in the day, the chief executive, who has come under fire for issuing only a brief response to the protest on Tuesday, broke his silence at the end of the second meeting of his cabinet in less than 24 hours. He said: 'I am weighing carefully the suggestions that have been made to me. I will let all of you know immediately when a decision is made.' Alan Leong Ka-kit, former Bar Association chairman and a member of the legal sector's concern group on Article 23, welcomed the Liberal Party's proposal, but said a deadline for legislating should not be set. Ip Kwok-him, of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong, said the most suitable time for the bill's second reading would be next Wednesday. But he said his party would support the government if it agreed to defer the vote. Executive Councillor Cheng Yiu-tong, head of the pro-government Federation of Trade Unions, said the bill should be put to a vote as scheduled. Amid speculation that the central government is increasingly concerned about the deadlock over Article 23, Legco banking representative David Li Kwok-po disclosed he had been invited to air his views in Beijing today. Mr Li has been critical of the way Secretary for Security Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee handled the bill, saying many protesters had been provoked by her remarks.
