Hong Kong Government Committed to Upholding Core Values

During a debate on Hong Kong’s core values, the Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, Mr Stephen Lam, said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government is “firmly committed to preserving Hong Kong as a free, open and tolerant society.”

Mr Lam said Hong Kong’s core values have been established with the collaborative efforts of the HKSAR Government and the community. They are “an accountable, professional and transparent public administration system, the rule of law, freedoms and liberties, fair and honest elections and a fully independent judiciary which upholds rights and freedoms.” 

These values provide the basis for promoting Hong Kong’s future development and the HKSAR Government will not allow them to be undermined by any individual or organization, he added.

Mr Lam pointed out that freedom of speech is very much alive in Hong Kong. As well, since reunification, there have been some 1,900 judicial review cases in which the HKSAR Government’s position was challenged.

“This goes to show that the HKSAR Government is no different from any man in the street,” he said, “and that we are all equal before the law.”

Mr Lam also underlined his commitment to keeping the upcoming LegCo elections free, open and honest. 

With regards to longer-term constitutional development, Mr Lam said that in societies as diversified as Hong Kong, it is necessary to accommodate others’ views in order to facilitate the emergence of an option that would receive broad-based support within the community.

He called upon different sectors of the community to make use of existing channels to communicate their views to the Constitutional Development Task Force.

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