TUNG CHEE-HWA and his administration should accord proper respect to the Court of Final Appeal's controversial right of abode judgment, the chairwoman of a legal watchdog said yesterday.
Gladys Li Chi-hei, SC, speaking on behalf of the council of JUSTICE (International Commission of Jurists), implored Mr Tung not to seek to undermine the authority of the judgment.
Instead, the Chief Executive and his Government should recognise the judgment has sent an important message to the international community that the rule of law and judicial independence continue in Hong Kong.
Ms Li, the daughter of retired Appeal Court Judge Simon Li Fook-sean, deplores the attacks upon the court's judgment and the personal attacks on Chief Justice Andrew Li Kwok-nang. Her father was also a vice-chairman of the now-defunct Beijing-appointed Preparatory Committee.
'These attacks amount to attacks upon judicial independence, and those who continue these attacks, whether directly or indirectly, risk undermining one of the cornerstones of the SAR's autonomy under the Basic Law,' she said.
Ms Li accepts that the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress has the authority to give an interpretation of any provision of the Basic Law after consulting the Committee for the Basic Law.