Carrie Lam: Organized collection of citizens’ opinions on the rule of law with pre-determined questions is inevitably more subjective

The Law Society of Hong Kong hosted the opening ceremony of the "30th Anniversary of Legal Week" today (19th). Chief Executive Carrie Lam, Secretary of Justice Zheng Ruohua, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal Zhang Juneng and others attended the opening ceremony.

In her speech, Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said that the rule of law in Hong Kong is well recognized, but noticed that recently organized questionnaire surveys on the rule of law in Hong Kong, collecting opinions with pre-set questions, are inevitably more subjective. The Department of Justice has set up a special rule of law database to assist with objective data. The public understands the rule of law in Hong Kong.

Zhang Juneng said that if citizens do not have confidence in the rule of law, they may use inappropriate or even illegal methods outside of the law to deal with disputes with others or the government, which will damage the rule of law.

He said that public trust in the rule of law is based on understanding, and the legal profession needs to improve public awareness of the law.

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Lam Cheng: The Department of Justice has launched a special rule of law database

Carrie Lam said that according to the World Bank Group’s World Governance Indicators, Hong Kong’s rule of law indicator has risen from 69.85 points in 1996 to 91.83 points in 2020, and has maintained a score of over 90 points since 2003. This shows that Hong Kong’s rule of law is highly recognized.

She said that she has noticed that in recent years, different organizations have conducted questionnaire surveys and reports on the rule of law in Hong Kong. They generally use pre-defined questions to collect the opinions of the interviewees as the basis for formulating reports. It is inevitable that they are more subjective.

She pointed out that the Department of Justice has launched a special rule of law database earlier this month, and will use objective data to help the public clearly understand the practice of the rule of law in Hong Kong, and make improvements when necessary to make the rule of law in Hong Kong more perfect.

Zhang Juneng said that if citizens have no confidence in the rule of law or use other methods to handle disputes

Zhang Juneng said that the rule of law is the foundation for Hong Kong’s success. The basic law of Hong Kong is the foundation of the rule of law. The mission of the judiciary is to maintain the independence of the judiciary and the highest professional standards to safeguard the rule of law, protect individual rights and freedoms, and obtain the right of people in Hong Kong and other places. The trust of Hong Kong's judicial system.

He pointed out that judicial independence is an important part of the rule of law. The Basic Law stipulates that Hong Kong courts should be tried independently without any interference. Therefore, any attempt to impose undue pressure on judges and judicial personnel is against the spirit of the rule of law and should be severely condemned.

He said that society’s confidence in the law and judicial system is indispensable for upholding the rule of law. If citizens do not have confidence in the rule of law, they may use inappropriate or even illegal methods outside of the law to deal with other people’s or the government’s relations. Disputes, the rule of law is impaired.

In his speech, Chen Zeming, the president of the Law Society, said that the rule of law in Hong Kong has been greatly challenged in the past two and a half years.

The court received powder letters one after another, Ruohua Cheng, Department of Justice: Despicable behavior would only appear to be ignorant and cowardly. West Kowloon and Sha Tin court received suspicious powder letters. The Bar Association condemned criminal and terrorist attacks on the rule of law. Cornerstone of the rule of law

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