Hong Kong deputies in Beijing call for review of Basic Law and no more foreign judges
‘Preposterous and unconstitutional’ proposals dismissed by critics across HK’s political divide
The city’s mini-constitution should be reviewed and its implementation regularly monitored by the apex of the national legislature, according to two Hong Kong deputies in Beijing yesterday – whose controversial proposals were swiftly derided back home.
Speaking at the meetings of the annual parliamentary session, one of them, Peter Wong Man-kong, who called for the Basic Law review, said it could look into banning foreign judges from handling constitutional-related cases and for their recruitment to cease.
Another deputy, Stanley Ng Chau-pei, said the National People’s Congress Standing Committee’s existing mechanism to review the application of laws should extend its supervision to Hong Kong’s Basic Law to ensure its full and accurate implementation. This should include legislation of the contentious security law, Article 23, he said.
Critics across the political divide panned the ideas, with the pan-democratic bloc warning the “preposterous” proposals would destroy “one country, two systems”.
Wong said the Standing Committee should comprehensively review the Basic Law to see which part of the mini-constitution should be amended, especially the section on foreign judges.
