Editorial | Same old antics as lawmakers return
- Hong Kong’s leader may have been missing for the start of the legislature’s extended term, but any hopes of a positive beginning were dashed by bickering and insults
It is unclear whether it was a show of discontent by the opposition after Lam and her top ministers shunned Legco for an event officiated by President Xi Jinping in Shenzhen. But the tension would have been just as high had the chief executive showed up as usual. The increasingly politically charged atmosphere has made the legislature an arena for confrontation. With the city still struggling to tackle the coronavirus and sentiments lingering from last year’s social unrest, the way forward is hardly reassuring.
Adding to the tension is a threat under Article 22 of the national security law that says anyone found to be “seriously interfering in, disrupting or undermining the performance of duties and functions” of the local or central governments is guilty of subversion. Whether the usual delaying and disruptive tactics of the opposition amount to a contravention remains to be seen. But a dysfunctional legislature is hardly in Hong Kong’s interest.