Hong Kong government's reform reports may face judicial review in court
A veteran at launching judicial reviews accuses the government of misrepresenting to Beijing Hongkongers' views on universal suffrage
In the latest twist in the run-up to Beijing's assessment of the city's electoral reform next week, one Hongkonger has challenged in court two official reports summarising local views on universal suffrage arrangements for being "seriously misleading".
Politicians cast doubt on the necessity of the legal action and said it may have come too late to make any difference to Beijing's decision.
The documents, presented by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and a ministerial-level reform taskforce, allegedly fail to reflect the views of Hongkongers, interpret the Basic Law wrongly and have been compiled selectively by the government.
The arguments are put forward by Cheung Chau islander Kwok Cheuk-kin, who has made a name for himself bringing government decisions to court, via his lawyer and Democratic Party founding chairman Martin Lee Chu-ming SC.
In his latest application for a judicial review, Kwok is also seeking a ruling that it is unconstitutional to require chief executive candidates to "love the country and Hong Kong" - which Leung's report describes as a matter the community generally agrees on.
The requirement "cannot be found in the [1984 Sino-British] Joint Declaration, the Basic Law or any other law", the application, lodged yesterday, said.