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Sai Wan's legitimate roles

Yang Sheng

In his first meeting with the local media since assuming the directorship of the Central Government Liaison Office in December, Zhang Xiaoming on Thursday refuted repeated and often vociferous claims by the opposition that the Liaison Office is the de facto shot-caller in local affairs. The Liaison Office's job, he corrected, is to faithfully perform duties as entrusted by the central government.

Although the Basic Law, the HKSAR's mini-constitution, has now been in force for over 15 years, there are some aspects of the constitutional arrangement of "One Country, Two Systems" that are not fully appreciated. Since the handover, the opposition camp has made unveiled attempts to overemphasize the "Two Systems" part of the formula.

A lack of understanding of the "One Country" part of the arrangement can lead to unnecessary friction between the SAR and the central government. As dictated by the Basic Law, there are areas in respect of what a legitimate role the central government can play in Hong Kong. These areas include, but are not limited to, defense and foreign affairs.

For example, the power to interpret the Basic Law is vested in the National People's Congress Standing Committee. This constitutional right of the country's top legislative body, however, has been met with strong resistance from the SAR's opposition politicians, some of whom are ironically legal professionals.

If the central government's constitutional powers are to be respected, its Liaison Office in Hong Kong unquestionably has legitimate roles to play in SAR affairs. Since the handover, in a number of controversial cases pertaining to the relationship between the SAR and the central government, the opposition camp has shunned the right place, the Liaison Office, for talks and settlement. Instead, a handful of opposition leaders made repeated visits to the US Consulate General in Hong Kong for "advice", a "secret" made known to the world by Wikipedia.

Isn't it easy for anyone with an ounce of political acumen to deduce who has legitimate roles to play in the SAR and who is meddling in Hong Kong affairs by pulling the strings behind the scenes?

(HK Edition 01/11/2013 page3)