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My Take | Judges are Hong Kong’s last bastion of impartiality
- In a highly divided city, members of the judiciary are targeted for their decisions by members of both political camps and this only proves how reassuringly independent they are
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Why you can trust SCMP
Critics are always fretting about Hong Kong’s judicial independence. They should stop worrying, shut up and look at themselves in the mirror.
The city’s judges, in the aggregate, are fine; most are highly trained and experienced.
It’s the political partisanship of the critics, whether of the yellow (anti-government/China) or the blue (pro-government/China), that people should be concerned about.
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The Law Society, which is generally seen as pro-Beijing, is right to weigh in on recent controversies concerning complaints against judges and their rulings.
The legal body for solicitors has strongly criticised attempts to undermine “respect for judicial integrity and independence” and said any “unfair and unfounded attacks solely according to political views cannot be tolerated”. This follows a similar defence for the local judiciary by the Bar Association, which represents barristers and is usually considered part of the pan-democratic movement.
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These days, whenever activists are put on trial, one side is bound to be unhappy. If the ruling is seen as too lenient, the blue camp accuses the judge of being a hidden “yellow”. If it’s considered harsh, the yellow camp will claim judicial interference and political persecution.
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