Hong Kong law improving oath-taking arrangement for public officers to take effect on May 21

HONG KONG -- A law that requires Hong Kong's public officers to take an oath to uphold the Basic Law and bear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will be published and take effect on Friday.

HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Thursday signed the Public Offices (Candidacy and Taking Up Offices)(Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2021.

The related bill was introduced into the Legislative Council for the first and second reading on March 17 and was passed by lawmakers on May 12.

The ordinance explains the meaning of upholding the Basic Law and bearing allegiance to the HKSAR, introduces the oath-taking requirement for members of the District Councils and specifies oath-taking requirements.

It also standardizes the arrangement of oath administrators, enhances the mechanism to deal with breach of oaths, and introduces restrictions on participation in public elections for related situations.

Lam said upholding the Basic Law and bearing allegiance to the HKSAR is the legal requirement and the precondition for public officers and is also the fundamental obligation and responsibility of people standing for election or taking up public office.

"It (the ordinance) stipulates very clearly for the first time the legal requirements for oath-taking of public officers, marking an important step for safeguarding the 'patriots administering Hong Kong' principle," she said.

The oath-taking requirements are in line with Article 104 of the Basic Law, the interpretation of the article by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in 2016, and the national security law in the HKSAR.

"To implement 'one country, two systems' fully and accurately, we must act in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law," Lam said, stressing that the ordinance will be conducive to the implementation of "one country, two systems."