HONG KONG: Chief executive contender John Tsang has said that he hopes legislation for a national security law can be completed by 2020. His election platform published on Monday put the legislation of the Article 23 of the Basic Law as one of his top items. Its enactment failed in 2003 following mass protests. Tsang said it is a constitutional responsibility and that there was no reason for any more delay. He suggested it should be done in the form of a white bill, which involves consulting the public about how a law should be enacted. The method was proposed by democrats in 2002 but was rejected by the government. At a press conference, he also proposed a committee led by renowned legal professionals to form the bill: “Under a very transparent process, I believe we can find a proposal that we can all agree on.”
Tsang said that, since the Legislative Council’s current term ends in 2020, the variables in pushing the law forward may increase in a new legislature, thus he hoped to complete the work before then. “The time between the new administration starts and the end of the LegCo term is just a little more than two years, the time is short – whether we can push forward this depends on the progress,” he said.
