Role of Hong Kong’s district councils needs reviewing, home affairs chief says after removal of members for invalid oaths
- Caspar Tsui backs looking at the ‘direction’ of district councils following reports of a pending overhaul of the electoral system for the municipal-level bodies
- Seven district councillors were disqualified this week for making invalid oaths as part of new requirements under the national security law
Hong Kong’s home affairs chief said on Thursday that the role of district councils should be reviewed once all municipal-level politicians had taken their oaths.
Caspar Tsui Ying-wai reiterated his support for examining the “direction” of the local authorities a day after disqualifying seven opposition district councillors on the grounds their past conduct had left him unconvinced the vows they made last Friday were genuine.
Under the national security law, Hong Kong’s oath-taking requirements – already in place for the city’s top officials, legislators and judges – were extended to include civil servants and district councillors. They must swear to uphold the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, and pledge allegiance to the special administrative region.
After a seminar on Thursday, Tsui was asked if he should have offered more of an explanation to the public for rejecting the oaths, but he said the basis of disqualification was made clear.
“Unlike what some individuals have said, my reply was not just one line, it formed many words .... The letter listed the rationales under which we believe that their oath did not comply [with the law],” the secretary for home affairs said.
Writing on his Facebook page the previous day, ousted Wan Chai district councillor Leung Pak-kin said he was tired of the government’s “ridiculous” decisions.
“I’ve answered [Caspar Tsui’s] questions, but there was no comment in his reply to us, except that he was not convinced,” he said.
Asked to comment on media reports that the electoral system for district councils could change ahead of the next contest in 2023, Tsui replied: “I’ve said before that the direction of district administration should be reviewed, but we don’t have new arrangements or information to share, because we haven’t examined it in detail.”
