Exclusive | Hong Kong protesters want to protect freedoms? Work on defending ‘one country, two systems’ first, retired judge Henry Litton says
- Former Court of Final Appeal judge launches rare attack on city’s political elite for neglecting people’s needs
- He calls on authorities to govern, instead of expecting a commission of inquiry – if it is set up – to perform what the administration should be doing
Protesters should focus on showing Beijing and the world that the “one country, two systems” principle works if they want to preserve Hong Kong’s freedoms, instead of pressing the embattled administration for greater democracy, a retired top judge has said.
Henry Litton also cautioned against the demand by protesters to have a commission of inquiry, saying it could be too broad a task for any judge to handle and was tantamount to taking over the government’s job.
In a written interview with the Post, the former judge also launched a rare attack against Hong Kong’s political elite for sitting on billions in financial reserves and neglecting people’s needs.
It was futile to press the Hong Kong government on electoral reform now, he said.
“There are few certainties in life. One of them is this: the common law system underpinning Hong Kong’s ‘core values’ is destined to expire in 27 years’ time ... There is no mechanism in the Basic Law for the system to continue beyond June 30, 2047. All the calls for freedom and democracy have no meaning if the common law crumbles.”