Hong Kong leader stakes credibility on extradition bill – but impasse continues in Legislative Council
- Carrie Lam faces her worst political crisis since taking office nearly two years ago, but expects to get the votes to pass the controversial legislation
- Two government sources say she is doubling down, feeling her governance would be undermined if she caved in to opposition and dropped the bill
Hong Kong’s leader is going all out to push her controversial extradition bill through the city’s legislature, instructing top officials to present a united front in backing it publicly and reminding them that her credibility and ability to govern are on the line, according to sources.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is facing her worst political crisis since taking the top job nearly two years ago, but expects to secure enough votes from her allies in the Legislative Council to pass the bill, which would allow the transfer of fugitives from Hong Kong to other jurisdictions with which the city has no extradition deal – including mainland China.
After last Saturday’s unprecedented clashes in Legco between pro-establishment lawmakers and their opposition rivals, as both sides tried to take control of the committee that would scrutinise the bill, attempts to hold another formal meeting on Tuesday were abandoned with neither camp willing to compromise.
The pan-democrats called for a three-way meeting with their rivals and the government to find a solution, but it was shot down by the city’s No 2 official, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, who left it to the legislature to sort out how the bills committee should get started on its work.
She suggested that by derailing or not attending the committee’s meeting, the pan-democrats were trying to force the government to withdraw the bill, but it would not work
Lam’s popularity has taken a beating as the extradition controversy rages on, primarily over concerns that Hongkongers could be victimised under a different legal system on the mainland.
