Opinion | Carrie Lam may win the battle to pass Hong Kong’s extradition law. But at what cost?

The fate of the Hong Kong government’s controversial bid to introduce new extradition laws will be decided in the coming days. The bill is due to receive its second reading in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, following a protest march on Sunday which organisers expect to attract 300,000 people. 

Parallels have been drawn with events in 2003, when a bid by the government to push through new national security laws in the face of widespread concern that they would curb freedoms sparked a protest by 500,000. That march prompted lawmakers to withdraw their support and the bill was withdrawn.

The new law will allow suspects to be transferred, on a case-by-case basis, to parts of the world which do not already have an extradition treaty with Hong Kong. This includes Taiwan, Macau and mainland China. The concern is that it will allow people in Hong Kong to be tried under the mainland’s legal system, which lacks an independent judiciary and fair trial guarantees. Opposition has come from democrat politicians, the business sector, the diplomatic community, the legal profession, media groups, students, teachers and housewives, among others.

The government has defended the proposals and claimed people do not understand the legislation. The problem is that the more explanations the government provides and the more people understand the bill, the more worried they become.

One key question has not been satisfactorily answered: why is the government so determined to pass this legislation, with its potential to alter the delicate balance of the “one country, two systems” arrangements?