反對選舉主任否決周庭、劉頴匡及陳國強參選資格聲明聯署 - 學術自由學者聯盟
反對選舉主任否決周庭、劉頴匡及陳國強參選資格聲明
Statement concerning the disqualification of Agnes Chow Ting, Ventus Lau Wing Hong and James Chan Kwok Keung to stand for election
(Please scroll down for the English version.)
日前香港特區政府選舉主任分別以香港眾志的民主自決綱領違背一國兩制,而「周庭代表香港眾志以及她認同『民主自決』主張」,及劉頴匡和陳國強並非真誠放棄港獨主張為由,認為三人均沒有真心和真誠擁護《基本法》及效忠香港特別行政區的意圖,而否決三人立法會補選參選資格。我們認為這是繼2016年立法會選舉後,再次剝奪市民本應享有參選權利,對此我們予以強烈譴責,理由如下:
選舉主任無權剝奪市民參選權、被選權和投票權
基本法委員會委員、港大法律學院教授陳弘毅指出,現行選舉法中並沒有明文賦予選舉主任有權去根據據參選人的政治主張,去判斷參選人是否擁護基本法,而決定是否要否定他們的參選資格。選舉主任「依法」履行的職責,主要是核實法定參選條件,如參選人年齡、是否持永久居民身份和有效提名是否足夠等,來決定參選人的提名是否有效。故此,選舉主任無法律根據裁定參選人是否擁護《基本法》及效忠香港特別行政區,繼而剝奪市民本應享有參選權、 被選權和投票權。
拒絕市民參選違反《基本法》和香港人權法案條例
根據《基本法》第26條和《香港人權法案》第21條,特區永久性居民依法享有被選舉權。《公民與政治權利國際公約》亦說明不得以政治派別或政治意見,剝奪任何人的參選權。大律師公會主席戴啟思、兩位前任公會主席和另外27位選委會的法律界代表在其近期聯署聲明中指出,參選權是《基本法》及香港人權法案條例所保障,以周庭的政治聯繫或意見作為剝奪參選的理由,是不合理、不合法及違憲,而且沒有給予周庭任何機會申訴,違反自然正義的基本原則。剝奪候選人參選資格本身,亦是在剝奪選民的選擇。
拒絕市民參選是以維護《基本法》為名 政治篩選為實
選舉主任認為眾志主張可透過「民主自決」公投決定特區在2047年後的憲制安排,是不擁護《基本法》,又不相信劉頴匡和陳國強真心放棄香港獨立主張,不信納劉和陳的宣稱卻沒有有力證據,更是誅心之論。把有不同意見視為不擁護《基本法》和不效忠香港,是禁絕異見,並不合文明常識。不認同《基本法》部份條文不應被視為不擁護《基本法》和不效忠香港的行為,更不能成為否決參選資格的理由,否則何以林鄭月娥於2016年公開表示她個人不同意《基本法》107條有關公共財政量入為出的條例後,在2017年的行政長官選舉中並沒有被否決參選資格?更何況,香港眾志在2016年4月創黨時已強調並不主張港獨,周庭、劉頴匡及陳國強亦已多次公開宣稱不支持港獨。至於民主自決,只是建議以公投的方式,來決定特區在2047年後的憲制安排。公投可否進行以及對中央政府是否具有約束力,中央政府是全面掌控的。
是次選舉主任繼2016年立法會選舉後,再次在缺乏法律基礎下強行剝奪港人的政治權利,作出政治篩選。作為當權者的特首、律政司司長和政務司司長,化身為獨裁政權的傳聲筒,亦支持選舉主任以法治的名義掩飾政治篩選的行為,是不合理、不合法及違憲。上述政治篩選進一步將香港推向獨裁社會,我們對此予以強烈譴責!
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發起團體及學者 (姓氏筆劃序)
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* 學術自由學者聯盟
* 何式凝 (香港大學教授)
* 何芝君 (明愛專上學院客座教授)
* 張楚勇 (香港城市大學高級特任講師)
* 成 名 (香港科技大學副教授)
* 敖恆宇 (香港中文大學教授)
* 杜耀明 (香港浸會大學助理教授)(已退休)
* 梁志遠 (香港理工大學專任導師)
* 梁旭明 (嶺南大學副教授)
* 崔志英 (香港科技大學電子及計算機工程學系教授)
* 潘達培 (中文大學專業應用副教授)
* 舒 琪 (香港電影歷史研究者)
* 蔡寶瓊 (中文大學客席副教授)
* 邱祖淇 (香港浸會大學講師)
* 鄭漢文 (香港中文大學專業顧問)
* 郭儀芬 (香港大學前助理教授)
* 鄭宇碩 (香港城市大學教授)(已退休)
* 鍾劍華 (香港理工大學社會政策研究中心主任)
* 馮偉華 (香港城市大學高級講師)
* 陳偉儀(陳慧) (香港演藝學院高級講師)
* 陳士齊 (香港浸會大學高級講師)
* 陳家洛 (香港浸會大學副教授)
* 陳敬慈 (香港城市大學副教授)
* 陳清僑 (嶺南大學教授)
* 陳燕遐 (香港中文大學高級講師)
* 陸潔玲 (香港理工大學香港專上學院講師)
* 黃偉國 (香港浸會大學助理教授)
* 龔立人 (香港中文大學副教授)
Statement concerning the disqualification of Agnes Chow Ting, Ventus Lau Wing Hong and James Chan Kwok Keung to stand for election
A returning officer of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has disqualified Agnes Chow of Demosisto to stand in the March 2018 Legislative Council by-elections on the basis of her party’s self-determination stance. Ventus Lau and James Chan have also been disqualified, on the basis that they have not truthfully given up their advocacy for Hong Kong independence. The judgement is that these three do not genuinely uphold the Basic Law and do not intend to serve the HKSAR, and therefore are ineligible to stand as candidates in the by-elections.
The returning officer has no right to take away citizens’ rights to stand for election, to be elected and to vote.
This is yet another attempt to take away citizens’ rights to stand for election since 2016. This we strongly condemn for the following reasons: The returning officer has no right to take away citizens’ rights to stand for election, to be elected and to vote. As member of the Basic Law Draft Committee, University of Hong Kong Law Faculty Prof Albert Chen Hung-yee has pointed out, the existing election ordinance does not clearly grant the returning officer the right to judge, on the basis of a candidate’s political advocacy, whether they support the Basic Law. Instead, that judgement should be based on their eligibility to stand for election.
The returning officers’ role according to the law is mainly to verify the validity of candidates’ nominations, based on whether they satisfy eligibility criteria such as their age, whether they are permanent residents and if nominations are adequate etc. Because of this, the returning officer does not have the legal basis to adjudicate whether candidates support the Basic Law or would serve the HKSAR faithfully, and henceforth take away citizens’ rights to stand for election, to be elected, and the right to vote.
Denying citizens’ right to stand for elections is against the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance
According to Basic Law Article 26 and Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance Article 21, permanent residents of the HKSAR have the right to be elected. The International Convention on Civil and Political Rights also states that a person’s right to be elected to office cannot be denied on the basis on political affiliation or political opinion. Hong Kong Bar Association Chairman Philip Dykes, its two previous Chairmen plus 27 other legal profession representations in the Election Committee stated in their recent joint statement that the right to stand for election is protected by the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance. To deny Agnes Chow’s right to stand for election on the basis of her political affiliation or views is unreasonable, unlawful and unconstitutional. Furthermore, it is against the basic principles of natural justice to deny Chow the opportunity to explain. Depriving candidates of their right to be elected is at the same time depriving voters the right to choose.
Denying citizens’ right to stand for election in the name of the Basic Law, is a smokescreen for political screening
The returning officer is of the view that Demosisto’s advocacy - that the HKSAR’s constitutional arrangements post 2047 should be made through ‘democratic self-determination’ via referendum – does not uphold the Basic Law. The officer also refuses to believe that Ventus Lau and Chan Kwok Keung have truthfully given up advocacy for Hong Kong independence. This refusal to accept Lau’s and Chan’s declaration is without basis. It is against common sense to treat difference in opinion as equivalent to not upholding the Basic Law and not faithful to serve Hong Kong. Disagreeing with certain Articles of the Basic Law does not mean that one does not uphold it or is not faithful to Hong Kong, and therefore denying one’s right to stand for election. In fact, our Chief Executive Carrie Lam in 2016 openly stated that she did not agree with Basic Law Article 107, regarding how public finance needs to be prudent, and yet there was no attempt to disqualify her of her right to stand in the 2017 Chief Executive elections.
Moreover, Demosisto at its inauguration in April 2016 already emphasized that they do not advocate Hong Kong independence. Agnes Chow, Ventus Lau and James Chan have also repeatedly stated in public that they do not support Hong Kong independence. As to democratic self-determination, the suggestion is to use referendum as a means to determine Hong Kong’s post 2047 constitutional arrangements. Whether the referendum would take place or whether it would have any binding power on the Central Government are completely controlled by the Central Government. Since the 2016 legislative elections, this is the second time the returning officer arbitrarily deprive Hong Kong people of their political rights through political screening. As those in power, the Chief Executive, Secretary for Justice and Chief Secretary have become mouthpieces of an authoritarian regime, supporting the returning officer’s political screening in the name of rule of law. This is most unreasonable, unlawful and unconstitutional. The aforementioned political screening further pushes Hong Kong towards authoritarianism, to which we express the strongest condemnation possible.
Initiators:
* Scholars' Alliance for Academic Freedom
* CHAN Ka Lok, Kenneth (HKBU, Associate Professor)
* CHAN Sze Chi (HKBU, Senior Lecturer)
* CHAN Wai Yee (HKAPA, Senior Lecturer)
* CHAN Yin Ha (CUHK, Senior Lecturer)
* CHAN, King Chi Chris (CityU, Associate Professor)
* CHAN, Stephen C.K. (Lingnan U, Professor)
* CHENG, Joseph Yu-shek (CityU, former Professor)
* CHEUNG, Chor Yung (CityU, Senior Teaching Fellow)
* CHOI Po King (CUHK, Adjunct Associate Professor)
* CHUNG Kim-wah (Poly U, Director of Centre for Social Policy Studies)
* HO Chi Kwan (Caritas Higher Institute of Education, Research Professor)
* HO, Petula Sik-ying (HKU, Professor)
* IP, Kenneth (Shu Kei) (HKAPA, former Dean of Film and Television)
* KUNG Lap Yan (CUHK, Associate Professor)
* KWOK, Rowena (HKU, former Assistant Professor)
* LEUNG Chi Yuen (PolyU, Teaching Fellow)
* LEUNG, Yuk-ming Lisa (Lingnan U, Associate Professor)
* LUK Kit Ling (HKCC, PolyU, Lecturer)
* NGO Hang Yue (CUHK, Professor)
* POON, Eric (CUHK, Associate Professor of Practice)
* SING Ming, Dixon (HKUST, Associate Professor)
* TO Yiu Ming (HKBU, former Assistant Professor)
* WONG Wai Kwok, Benson (HKBU, Assistant Professor)
* YAU, Joe C.K. (HKBU, Lecturer)