Former chief justice Andrew Li Kwok-nang on Thursday urged Hong Kong’s legal profession to hold steadfast to the rule of law and be fully committed the defence of an independent judiciary.
Speaking at a ceremony at the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong, Li said Hong Kong was facing challenging developments on both the economic and political fronts.
He said that while Hong Kong must deal with – and seize the many opportunities presented by - the phenomenal growth of the mainland’s economy, it must cope with changes in our political system as stipulated in the Basic Law.
The Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, states that the city will eventually select the chief executive and the legislature through universal suffrage.
“But amid these changes, we must hold steadfast to the core value of the rule of law with an independent judiciary,” Li said. “This core value must never be shaken and must always remain sacrosanct and immutable.”
He called on Hongkongers – and the legal profession in particular – to defend this value.