Who’s who in the new Bar Association leadership, and what’s next on their list of challenges?
Local barristers voted in a slate of mostly liberal-minded leaders, but the new chairman and council members face an uphill task
Following one of the most heated races in years, Hong Kong barristers opted for reform on Thursday night by voting for a new slate of mostly liberal-minded leaders to take the helm of the city’s 1,400-member barrister organisation.
The oft-uncontested election heated up this year as Dykes, a former chairman in 2005, took many by surprise by throwing his name in the ring for the second time, as he led a star-studded team to also vie for the five council member seats up for grabs. They secured four out of five.
Dykes’ teammates included prominent criminal specialist Lawrence Lok Ying-kam and respected legal scholar Johannes Chan Man-mun, who were both elected as council members with overwhelming support.
The race had a political undertone: a controversial plan approved by Beijing for a joint immigration checkpoint serving the new cross-border rail link will see national laws being enforced by mainland officers in part of a train terminus in Hong Kong. A fierce debate continues to rage over whether the proposal violates the Basic Law – the city’s mini-constitution.
Stretching the Basic Law to fit Hong Kong’s high-speed rail plan puts ‘one country, two systems’ at risk
