The Bar Association held its annual general meeting today (20th) to re-elect the executive committee. Mr. Du Gankun, SC, took over as chairman, and the vice-chairmen were succeeded by Mr. Mo Leli, SC, and Chen Zhenglong.
Du Gankun reiterated at the press conference that he does not agree that the rule of law in Hong Kong is dead. The Association will, as always, speak out on the issue of the rule of law in a timely manner, and try its best to provide opinions on the draft legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law, believing that the legislation of Article 23 must be fully consulted with the society.
He also said that if the Bar Association is invited to visit Beijing, the conference will definitely participate.
Xia Boyi, the former chairman of the SBA, was bombarded by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government for proposing to amend the National Security Law. "The case is still under trial, and we hope that the public will give time to the court to interpret the relevant legislation, and have confidence that the court's judgment will clarify the ambiguity of the legislation.
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Hope the public give time to the court to interpret the "National Security Law"
Du Gankun, Mao Leli, Chen Zhenglong, Honorary Secretary and Treasurer Ma Jiajun and Deputy Honorary Secretary Yan Yongzheng met with reporters in the evening.
Du Gankun was honored to be the new chairman of the association, emphasizing that the rule of law is the cornerstone of Hong Kong's success, the association has social responsibility to promote the rule of law and judicial justice, and explain the concept of the rule of law to the public.
Du Gankun continued to point out that Hong Kong has faced many challenges in the past period of time. Some people have changed their perceptions of the rule of law, they are pessimistic, and some even behaved like disrespecting the courts and attacking judges. He believes that at this moment, the Society should demonstrate professionalism and knowledge to the society. Those involved in promoting the rule of law also pointed out that the public expects the Association to uphold its professionalism, to speak out on issues of the rule of law when needed, and to continue to do related work in the coming year.
He reiterated that the Association is a professional organization and will do its duty as a professional organization to assist members to expand their business and provide training. He pointed out that the legal business in the Mainland and overseas is developing rapidly, and the Association should seize the opportunity to achieve better communication with all parties.
Laughing and saying that the chairman of the guild is "never easy to do", Xin Xia Boyi agrees that "there are thorns in the road"
Du was asked at the press conference about his views on whether the "National Security Law" can protect human rights and other issues. He said that the "National Security Law" is a new law in Hong Kong. Allow time for the court to interpret the relevant legislation, and I am confident that the court's decision can clarify the ambiguity of the legislation.
As for whether the two offices' criticism of Xia Boyi was fair, Du was noncommittal. He joked that before running for the chairmanship, many seniors called the chairman of the association "a job that was never easy to do" and full of challenges. I believe Xia Boyi should agree that the past year was full of thorns and obstacles. .
When asked if he knew the reasons for Hong Kong people's pessimism about the rule of law, Du Gankun said that there have been many challenges in Hong Kong in the past few years, and it is not surprising that some citizens feel pessimistic about the rule of law. opportunities overseas.
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Refers to politics, rule of law or overlapping futures that need to be carefully managed
The two offices and the establishment faction earlier criticized the Association as a "political organization" rather than a "professional organization." Du Gankun emphasized that the Association is a professional organization and has a social responsibility to speak out on legal issues, but at the political level, the rule of law is not a political concept, and the Association does not It should be mentioned that "many people in Hong Kong society have a lot of opinions, and it is inevitable that the legal system is very polar."
He later said that "purely political issues" have nothing to do with the rule of law, of course, but identity politics and the rule of law overlap at certain levels, and they will "take care of it" in the future.
Du Gankun stressed that he had not communicated with central government agencies on the issue of running for the chairmanship of the association, and stressed that the decision to run for the election was aimed at serving the legal profession and the Hong Kong society.
He also said that if the Bar Association was invited to visit Beijing, he would definitely participate, saying that as a member of the association, he had visited Beijing many times with the chairman of the association, but he said that he could not see any reason not to continue to visit Beijing for exchanges.
There are voices in the society suggesting that barristers should be merged with solicitors. Du Ziyan heard this view at a very young age. At the age of 21, he already had a solicitor and advised him not to be a barrister.
Du reiterated that barristers are an important part of the rule of law in Hong Kong and have important value in safeguarding the rule of law in Hong Kong, expressing his disagreement with the relevant proposals.
Wu Aiyi: I have great respect for the new chairman, Li Zhuming, and said he is confident
Wu Aiyi, a former member of the Legislative Council of the Citizen's Party's legal circle and senior counsel, said that she respected the new chairman Du Gankun very much. He pointed out that "no matter how difficult the time is", there will still be people in the Bar Association. I hope that Hong Kong people will continue to have confidence in the association. , I believe that the guild will continue to uphold the rule of law in the next year.
When asked about his views on the new chairman, the founding chairman of the Democratic Party, Mr. Lee Chu-ming, SC, said only: "I am confident" and left.
The Bar Association will re-elect the chairman and other 10 candidates next month. The top two executive committees resign on their own.