Hong Kong residents protest on Wednesday outside the High Court in Admiralty, urging Paul Harris, chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, to step down. They condemned Harris for his remarks on the National Security Law for Hong Kong and his concealing his membership in the UK’s Liberal Democrats party. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Leading figures in Hong Kong’s legal sector said on Wednesday that it is intolerable to have Paul Harris, with his foreign political ties, heading the Hong Kong Bar Association — an organization that plays an important role in the city’s rule of law.
The newly elected head of the association is a member of the Liberal Democrats party, the fourth-largest political party in the United Kingdom. The party has come out publicly against the National Security Law for Hong Kong, saying it crushes the “one country, two systems” framework and destroys Hong Kong. Harris is also a former British city councilor.
Kacee Ting Wong, a barrister and vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, said a card-carrying member of a foreign political party should not be a member of the association’s bar council, let alone its chairman.
The newly elected head of the association, Paul Harris, is a member of the Liberal Democrats party, the fourth-largest political party in the United Kingdom. The party has come out publicly against the National Security Law for Hong Kong, saying it crushes the “one country, two systems” framework and destroys Hong Kong
Ting based his argument on the Bar Association’s role in safeguarding the city’s rule of law. Currently, the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission in Hong Kong — a statutory body responsible for making recommendations to the chief executive on judicial appointments — should include a person nominated by the Bar Association. Usually, it is the head of the association.
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If Harris is the chairman of such an important organization, people will question if the association would still take the responsibility and be neutral, Ting added.
Law professor Willy Fu Kin-chi also is in favor of Harris stepping down. He urged the Bar Association to investigate Harris’ alleged conflict of interest and to oust him. Otherwise, in the eyes of the public, the association will have allowed itself to be “hijacked” by Harris’ political views, further undermining public trust, Fu said.
In an opinion piece published on Wednesday, Grenville Cross, a senior counsel and former director of public prosecutions of Hong Kong, said Harris’ foreign political ties are worrying as they have turned the professional association into a politicized organization.
Public trust in the association has been undermined and Harris should consider resigning before irreparable damage is done, Cross wrote.
Barrister Athena Kung, in an article published on Tuesday, said the most sensible way for the Bar Association is to split with Harris, in view of his remarks relating to the city’s National Security Law.
Harris came under fire for calling on the central government to amend the security law, which he claimed is at odds with Hong Kong’s Basic Law.
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Kung noted that the head of any organization must pay attention to the interests of the whole group instead of making use of the body to strengthen one’s individual influence to achieve one’s personal ambitions.
