Editing Tung Chee-hwa (section)

==== Crisis of governance in 2003 ====
The first major move of Tung in his second term was to push for the [[National Security (Legislative Provisions) Bill 2003|national security legislation]] to implement [[Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23|Article 23]] of the [[Hong Kong Basic Law]] in September 2002. However, the initiative drew a hostile response from the pro-democratic camp, lawyers, journalists, religious leaders and human rights organisations.<ref>{{cite web |last = Staff reporter |title = Bill will limit freedoms say majority of Catholics |work = The Standard |date = 7 July 2003 |url = http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=23368&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20030707&sear_year=2003 |access-date = 11 January 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080430051424/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=23368&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20030707&sear_year=2003 |archive-date = 30 April 2008 }}</ref> This stoked public concerns that the freedoms they enjoyed would deteriorate. The sentiment, together with other factors such as the [[SARS]] epidemic in early 2003, when the government was criticised for its slow response, strained hospital services and the unexpected death toll, resulted in the largest mass demonstration since the establishment of HKSAR, with an estimated 500,000 people (out of the population of 6,800,000) marching on 1 July 2003. Many demanded Tung to step down.<ref>{{cite web |last = Paris Lord |author2 = Cannix Lau |title = 500,000 show anger at 'stubborn' rulers |work = The Standard |date = 2 July 2003 |url = http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=23054&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20030702&sear_year=2003 |access-date = 11 January 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080430051417/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=23054&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20030702&sear_year=2003 |archive-date = 30 April 2008 }}</ref>

In response to the protests, the leader of the Liberal Party, [[James Tien (politician)|James Tien]], resigned from the Executive Council on evening 6 July, signifying the withdrawal of the party's support for the bill implementing Article 23. As a result, the government had to postpone and later withdraw the bill from the legislative agenda.<ref>{{cite web |last = Ng |first = Dennis |title = Uncertain future for Article 23 |work = The Standard |date = 14 July 2003 |url = http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=23846&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20030714&sear_year=2003 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080430051428/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=23846&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20030714&sear_year=2003 |url-status = dead |archive-date = 30 April 2008 |access-date = 11 January 2007 }}</ref> On 17 July 2003, [[Regina Ip]], the then Secretary for Security who was responsible for implementing Article 23, resigned for personal reasons. Another Principal Official, Finance Secretary [[Antony Leung]], who earlier suffered from a scandal over his purchase of a luxury vehicle weeks prior to his introduction of a car sales tax, which was dubbed as the ''Lexusgate'' scandal, resigned on the same day.<ref>{{cite web |last = Fung |first = Fanny |title = Leung, Ip quit |work = The Standard |date = 17 July 2003 |url = http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=24045&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20030717&sear_year=2003 |access-date = 11 January 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080430051433/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=24045&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20030717&sear_year=2003 |archive-date = 30 April 2008 }}</ref>