It was the promise of things to come that poured cold water all over the anti-racism movement in Hong Kong. In the early years of this decade, a strong campaign for anti-racial discrimination legislation - fuelled by intense anger and solidarity among civil society groups - generated more than enough publicity to put the issue firmly on the social agenda.
Then came the promise that the agitation would finally bear fruit. Three years and four months ago, the government announced that it would legislate against racial discrimination after years of foot-dragging, finally fulfilling its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which has applied to Hong Kong since 1969.
The anger subsided, the solidarity between campaign groups weakened and the level of publicity consequently eased. There was a sense of anticipation as supporters of the legislation waited for change. In the interim, ethnic minority representatives and anti-racism activists attended regular meetings with senior government officials on issues that concerned them. The then-deputy secretary for home affairs Stephen Fisher chaired the meetings, which would run for several hours.
Two years ago, the Home Affairs Bureau issued a consultation paper setting out its proposals on the law. Since then, advocates have been given one date after another for when the bill would be introduced to the Legislative Council. It's common knowledge among sources in government and non-governmental spheres that a number of departments and bureaus have been hostile to the law.
Frustration among advocates has been simmering. It now appears that a campaign to introduce anti-discrimination laws is gathering pace again.
Fermi Wong Wai-fun, one of the staunchest advocates of such laws in Hong Kong, and head of Hong Kong Unison, said she felt that the political will to protect ethnic minorities' interests had weakened during the past year or two. Ms Wong left Hong Kong for a year in mid-2004 because of family commitments, thinking she had left behind an administration that understood and was sympathetic towards issues concerning minorities.
