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City Beat | Can a candlelight vigil ignite a political flame? All eyes on June 4 turnout to mark Tiananmen crackdown as Chief Executive Carrie Lam gauges public sentiment over extradition bill
- Size of crowd at June 4 vigil will be display of public opinion on extradition bill – and the city leader’s political agenda
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What could be next on the government’s political agenda after its highly contentious extradition bill? Will changing the city’s fugitive transfer laws pave the way for enacting the long-overdue national security legislation – or make it even more difficult to sell?
These questions have arisen again in the minds of many Hongkongers, and perhaps also for Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her administration.
Beijing has constantly reminded Hong Kong of the need to enact national security legislation, but it has always been a matter of finding the appropriate timing, practically and politically.
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On a practical level, it’s common sense for the government to first ensure it has enough supporting votes in a divided Legislative Council. Politically, the risks and potential prices to pay must be assessed.
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At the moment, despite the foreseeable political backlash at home and abroad, a major practical reason for the government to go all out in pushing the fugitive transfer bill is the political reality that pro-establishment lawmakers outnumber pan-democrats in the Legislative Council.
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