Carrie Lam, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, warned the Hong Kong Law Society of not letting politics override its professionalism, otherwise the government would consider ending cooperation with it.
The comments were made when the chief executive was responding to the recent disbandment of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), the biggest opposition alliance in the city. She added that other civil groups and professional associations should strictly follow the rule of law.
“If they deviate from the main governing principles and get hijacked by politics, the Hong Kong government will have no other choice but to end the relationship with them,” she said.
Following the dissolution of the CHRF on Sunday, experts warned that more radical political groups that have been involved in secessionist activities may announce disbandment in the future given the potential legal liabilities they face.
Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times in an earlier interview that organizations like the Law Society of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Bar Association should stop being entangled in political disputes in order to ensure their cooperation with the government and maintain licensing as well as supervision.
The Law Society is scheduled to hold its general meeting on August 24 for the council election. People’s Daily urged the association to draw a clear line from the anti-China troublemakers, otherwise, it may face the same consequences like the Bar Association.
The Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong urged the Hong Kong Bar Association in April to terminate the tenure of anti-China politician Paul Harris, chairman of the association, because he defended and glorified violence. The office also warned the association not to walk further down the path of politics or it risked going down an “abyss.”
Carrie Lam File Photo:Xinhua
