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Letters | Article 23: Hong Kong must not repeat the mistakes of the 2019 extradition bill fiasco
- Readers discuss Article 23 legislation, youth vaccination policy inconsistency, roaming wild boars, the controversy over a police officer’s death, and how to make learning fun
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Article 23 is floating back into view across a sea of divided opinions (“Hong Kong officials urged to speed up delivery of Article 23 security law to counter foreign interference”, October 3).
Unlike the national security law that was imposed by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, Article 23 legislation will be enacted by our city’s own government. It is therefore imperative that the competence of our chief executive and elected officials improves.
The need for public consultation is core to the success of this legislation and the future peace and prosperity of Hong Kong for all.
The failure of bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance was the result of the government’s complete failure to take the time to speak and listen to the community. In seeking to ignore public sentiment and force through in an unacceptably short period of time amendments that citizens saw as an invasion of their own security, the government plunged our city into the abyss, for which our chief executive is entirely to blame.
It is now time for mature dialogue, for the government to understand that laws protect citizens’ safety and to protect our rights against abuses by other people, organisations and by the government itself.
Mark Peaker, The Peak
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