Legco president Andrew Leung calls on Hong Kong government to ‘put political issues aside’ and delay passing national anthem law
- Leung says legislature needs time to mend and calm down before proceeding with law that would levy stiff penalties on those who insult anthem
- Law was expected to be passed before Legco’s summer recess in mid-July
The head of Hong Kong’s legislature has called for the government to “put political issues aside” and delay the passage of a controversial national anthem legislation, after tens of thousands of protesters surrounded the Legislative Council complex over the extradition bill row last week.
Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen made the announcement as a contentious funding proposal to kick-start Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s plan to build artificial islands off Lantau was also reshuffled to the bottom of the agenda at the Legco Finance Committee’s meeting on Friday.
Lam’s campaign to change the city’s extradition laws has plunged her into the worst political crisis since she began her five-year term in July 2017. An estimated 2 million people took to the streets on Sunday in an overwhelming repudiation of her governance.
Lam suspended the extradition bill on Saturday, and offered a public apology on Tuesday, but that failed to placate protesters, who vowed to surround the city’s legislative and administrative centre again unless she completely withdraws the bill.
Leung revealed on Wednesday he had told Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen the passage of the national anthem bill should be delayed.