One extradition bill, hundreds of thousands of protesters: why is the Hong Kong government sticking to its guns and will the opposition relent?
- Pro-establishment legislators close ranks with government, insisting contentious legislation ought to be given a chance
- Several mainland Chinese scholars argue bill is equipped with enough safeguards and only became controversial after opposition camp and foreign politicians politicised the legislation
The Hong Kong government has made clear its controversial extradition bill would go forward, even after Sunday’s mass rally opposing it.
Political allies of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor reiterated their support for the bill after the city’s leader promised to alleviate public fears by taking on suggestions from pro-government parties. Her allies said they were not worried about a backlash in the coming district council elections.
In the first of two articles, we look at why the government is sticking to its guns. In the second, we look at whether it could revive the ailing pan-democrats.
On July 1, 2003, half a million people took to the streets to oppose the Hong Kong government’s national security Article 23 legislation, fearing their civil liberties would be compromised.
Despite securing support from major pro-establishment groups, the city’s top officials decided at the time they did not have enough votes to get the bill approved in the Legislative Council.
The bill was shelved, and the pro-establishment parties that supported the legislation suffered embarrassing defeats at the district council polls held later that year, with commentators saying voters were punishing the politicians for backing a bill that threatened the city’s freedoms.