Order Probe Before Things Get Worse: Stephen Sui

Former Labour and Welfare Secretary Stephen Sui has called on the government to order a probe into the extradition bill controversy immediately, warning that otherwise the protests will continue and violence may escalate.

Sui also said he thinks some top officials should step down over the extradition bill controversy. But the most urgent thing the Carrie Lam administration should do is to set up an independent inquiry into the saga to restore calm in society, he said.

“We believe that with the general consent of the community – and actually this idea has come from various sectors, including various scholars, including commercial fields, including our opinion leaders, a lot of the people who are rational and they are without radical political intention – they all agree that this is the way forward,” he told RTHK’s Candice Wong.

“I hope the government will listen to these rational voices,” he said.

The former top official said he understands that setting up an independent commission of inquiry is not a decision that Carrie Lam can make on her own, but a collective one, but he added it is an urgent matter that’s already gained a general consensus in the community.

Sui said that under the political appointment system, top officials should be held accountable for policy failure, but said the government can deal with this later.

“I’ll leave it for the government to consider. But at the moment, this is not the most urgent thing to be done,” he said.