The government has no plans to follow Macau's move to enact the national security law required under Article 23 of the Basic Law, the secretary for security has said.
Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong said yesterday that both Hong Kong and Macau had a constitutional responsibility to enact Article 23, which requires the two cities to pass legislation to protect national security.
'However, the Hong Kong government's priorities are the economy and people's livelihood,' he told the Legislative Council's security panel discussing the chief executive's policy address.
'The government does not have a plan at the moment to follow Macau in legislation on Article 23.'
A mainland legal expert said Hong Kong should have enacted a national security law a long time ago, adding that the city's failure to do so 11 years after the handover was 'inglorious'.
'It's normal for the Macau government to launch the legislative work to enact a national security law,' the expert said. 'Hongkongers should not be reluctant to discharge their constitutional duty while they are eager to enjoy the rights enshrined in the Basic Law.'