City Beat | After Hong Kong’s extradition bill is passed, what next?
- Getting legislation on statute book is just start of government’s problems, with implementation to serve as diplomatic flashpoint amid cross-strait and international tensions
Public sentiment against the government’s contentious extradition bill is plain to see in the crowds taking to the streets in protest, with Sunday’s mass rally reflecting the height of opposition.
The bill is bound to be passed this summer, as the government has secured enough support from its allies in the Legislative Council to produce the number of votes it needs.
That looks like a done deal, but what has not been touched upon much is the question of how viable the new law is, if it is to be implemented without making the city pay a further price.
In any policymaking, the process matters more in many senses, and a review of how the issue has developed into a full-blown controversy can be telling when it comes to the unique nature of Hong Kong as a special administrative region governed by the “one country, two systems” formula.