Security legislation passage 'a weight off the mind'
The vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, Tam Yiu-chung, said the enactment of Article 23 legislation is "a weight off the mind" and allowed the city to focus on developing its economy. Speaking on a radio programme on Wednesday, Tam said the passage of the bill was smooth. "The deliberation process was serious and meticulous. The top secretaries and ministers explained the bill to lawmakers, answering around 1,000 questions from them. Any concerns that the public may have were also reflected," he said. "Although the whole legislative process was swift, everything was handled with care and attention. So, I think the chances for more questions are small."  On a clause empowering the Chief Executive in Council to make subsidiary legislation in safeguarding national security, lawmaker and Basic Law Committee member Simon Lee told an RTHK programme that the scope of subsidiary legislation won’t exceed that of the main law. "The power of subsidiary legislation derives from the main legislation and cannot exceed its scope. Recently, we have seen penalties of subsidiary legislation amounting to HK$500,000 and seven years in prison, all within the scope of the main law." Lee said the power to bring in subsidiary legislation allowed the authorities to deal with unforeseen circumstances.