In what has become a tussle over the legitimate meaning of “rule of law”, CY Leung, Hong Kong’s chief executive, continuously invoked the concept in his annual policy address yesterday.
In the city’s equivalent of a State of the Union address, Mr Leung sought to portray pro-democracy activists, who brought parts of the city to a standstill for 75 days last year, as endangering Hong Kong’s reputation for lawfulness. His speech was entitled “Uphold the Rule of Law, Seize the Opportunities, Make the Right Choices”.
Mr Leung, who became a focus for student anger during the so-called Umbrella Movement, said protesters needed to “act in accordance with the law or Hong Kong will degenerate into anarchy”.