Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa yesterday avoided committing to deferring the Article 23 legislation, despite calls from one of his executive councillors to postpone it until after the Legislative Council elections next year.
In his first response to calls by cabinet member Tsang Yok-sing for a delay, Mr Tung said: 'I've repeatedly said that Article 23 legislation is the duty of Hong Kong. We will broadly listen to the views of the public and should gain the support of citizens. We don't have any timetable.'
The Article 23 controversy took a new twist on Thursday after Mr Tsang, a member of the Executive Council and chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong, said the bill might as well be delayed to the next Legco term beginning in October 2004 to allow more time for discussion.
However, he said he would not insist on deferring the national security bill until the next Legislative Council elections if most parties wanted it enacted before next July.
The government and the DAB have insisted the bill should be enacted this summer. But the mass protest on July 1 eventually derailed the vote and forced Mr Tung to re-launch public consultation.
Emerging from a one-hour talk with new Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong on Article 23 yesterday, Mr Tsang said the possibility of deferral had not been discussed.Mr Tsang said the new security chief promised a wide consultation beginning next month without any preconceived views on how long it would last or when the bill should be enacted. According to existing rules, bills will lapse if they fail to get through before the Legco term ends July next year. The legislative work will have to start afresh after the new Legco is formed in late 2004.