Today is the National Constitution Day.The Joint Committee for the Promotion of the Basic Law of Hong Kong and some other organisations will jointly hold a seminar to mark the 35th anniversary of the implementation of the effective Constitution of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the 2017 National Constitution Day.Wang Zhimin, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR, also published a signed article yesterday on the Liaison Office's website, entitled Strengthening Publicity and Education on the Constitution to Effectively Enhance National Awareness and Patriotic Spirit.
It is something new for Hong Kong citizens either to talk about a constitution in Hong Kong or to talk about the Constitution of the PRC in the Hong Kong SAR. Before Hong Kong's return to the Motherland in 1997, the governing powers for the British colonial government were derived from the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Hong Kong Royal Instructions. Ordinary people were only required to abide by Hong Kong laws, so much so that they never had any constitutional conception. It is not until today, 20 years after Hong Kong's handover in 1997, that a seminar on the Constitution is held for the first time in the SAR, so that Hong Kong people for the first time come to know of the National Constitution Day and to a sudden realization that they must also abide by this Constitution.
A saying has it that it is "better late than never". Although it is not until today that Hong Kong people begin to know about and understand the national Constitution, it is not too late. As a matter of fact, while the Constitution is of supreme authority constitutionally, politically and legally in the country, yet at the level of daily life the general public is not required to learn the Constitution by rote and to interpret it, which is left for specialists and academics. For an average member of the nation, the sole or biggest duty to the Constitution is to respect the Constitution, to abide by the Constitution and to safeguard the Constitution's sacred and inviolable status.
Surely, some people may say that we are not familiar with the Constitution, how can we abide by and safeguard it? The answer is very simple. Right now in the Hong Kong SAR, to respect the leading role of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with Xi Jinping as the core, to respect the socialist system and road with Chinese characteristics in a new era adopted by the country, to comprehensively implement "one country two systems" and the Basic Law, to respect the Central Government's constitutional role, status and its overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong, to safeguard national sovereignty, security and interests of development, and to firmly oppose and resist "independence for Hong Kong" and other words and deeds attempting to split the country, - these are already in effect the most practical actions of safeguarding and respecting the Constitution. And by doing so, one already fulfils his due constitutional obligation and duty as a member of the nation.
To fulfil such constitutional obligation and duty in practice is nothing sophisticated, difficult or fearful. The Constitution of today's China is neither a castle in the air nor reserved for a small number of people, but a "fundamental law on earth" based on history, reality and the common interests of all the people. As such, it is true to life, simple and easy to approach, and practical and feasible. For instance, Article 1 of the Constitution comes straight to the point: "The socialist system is the basic system of the People's Republic of China. Disruption of the socialist system by any organization or individual is prohibited." While Article 31 stipulates: "The State may establish special administrative regions when necessary. The systems to be instituted in special administrative regions shall be prescribed by law enacted by the National People's Congress in the light of specific conditions." This is the supreme constitutional origin and legal guarantee for the "one country two systems" principle.
Therefore, greeting the National Constitution Day on December 4, it is very necessary and timely for a large seminar to be held today and for Director Wang Zhimin to publish his article yesterday. More such activities at the political and constitutional levels should be held in the SAR from now on to improve Hong Kong people's recognition of history and national circumstances. Only in this way can Hong Kong people gain a better understanding of the nation's constitutional system and "one country two systems" so as to be better integrated into the current of the nation's grand development.
04 December 2017
