Law improving oath-taking arrangement for public officers takes effect in Hong Kong

HONG KONG -- A law that requires Hong Kong's public officers including district councilors to take an oath to uphold the Basic Law and bear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was published in the Gazette and came into force on Friday.

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, HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam said while signing the law on Thursday.

The law stipulates clearly for the first time the legal requirements for oath-taking of public officers, which marks an important step for safeguarding the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle and is conducive to the implementation of "one country, two systems," she said.

The Public Offices (Candidacy and Taking Up Offices) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2021 was signed by Lam on Thursday. Before that, the related bill was introduced into the Legislative Council on March 17 and was passed by lawmakers on May 12.

The government is working on the related arrangement and will unveil the details soon.

According to the bill, district council members could be suspended for violating their oaths or legal requirements of upholding the Basic Law and bearing allegiance to the HKSAR.