China's top legislature's decision on qualification of HKSAR LegCo members unchallengeable: central gov't office

The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of China's State Council on Wednesday said the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on the qualification of members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has unchallengeable legal authority.

The decision provides a solid legal basis for regulating and dealing with matters concerning the qualification of LegCo members, said the office in a statement.

The office said it resolutely supports the decision and supports the HKSAR government's announcement to disqualify members of the sixth LegCo, including Dennis Kwok Wing-hang, in accordance with law.

The statement noted that it has been determined in accordance with law that the disqualified members have failed to genuinely uphold the HKSAR Basic Law or to honor their pledge of allegiance to the HKSAR, and were disqualified from the election of the SAR's seventh LegCo.

As a natural result, they are no longer eligible to hold their LegCo seats while the sixth LegCo continues performing duties.

This is a requisite for safeguarding the principle and bottom-line of "one country, two systems" and for upholding the authority of the Constitution and the Basic Law, the statement said.

This is also a common call from all upright people in Hong Kong, it added.

The statement said the decision bears important significance to fully and faithfully implementing the "one country, two systems" principle, protecting the HKSAR's constitutional order as defined in the Constitution and the Basic Law, safeguarding China's sovereignty, security and development interests, and maintaining Hong Kong's social stability.

The HKSAR government's announcement of the disqualifications has fully shown the justness and authority of the rule of law, the statement said.

The statement stressed that any attempt to seize personal political interests by confronting the NPC Standing Committee's decision or by challenging the central authority's power and the authority of the Basic Law is "doomed to be nothing but a demagogic and vain farce."

There should never be a place in HKSAR's political power organs including its administrative, legislative and judicial organs for any people who advocate or support "Hong Kong independence," disavow the country's sovereignty and its exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, seek foreign or external forces' intervention in HKSAR's affairs or conduct other acts undermining the country's national security, the statement said.

It is a basic requirement for patriotic people governing Hong Kong, the statement said.

The statement also called for further improvement of relevant systems and mechanisms to secure the implementation of the policy of "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong" with patriots playing the principal role in governance and to ensure that the practice of "one country, two systems" is carried out along a right path and is not bent or distorted.

The decision is conducive to ensuring the sixth LegCo to continue operation smoothly, the statement read, adding that it has also created favorable conditions for the HKSAR government to concentrate on boosting the economy, ensuring people's livelihood and solving deep-seated problems.