Time for Constitutional Development

These are eventful times and history will note that July of 2003 has been a significant month for our One Country Two Systems regime.

For One Country Two Systems to work, Hong Kong must be able to successfully discharge its duties to the Central Government. By the same token, the obligations owed to the people living in this small place must also be discharged. The discharge of such obligations must always be an interactive exercise and no single component can be taken away from the whole system.

The acceleration of our constitutional development is now moving swiftly ahead. The principle of gradual and orderly progress, as stipulated in the Basic Law, is always a good principle to follow for revolution all too often means bloodshed – and that is something we would never wish to happen. To achieve the gradual and orderly development of our constitutional order, we must consider three key factors: the openness of the society; the standard and level of education of the people; and the level of interest in public affairs.

Certainly, Hong Kong is an open society. All sources of information are readily available and restrictions on the movement of persons are minimal. There is no doubt that the overall level of education here is very high. The illiteracy rate is near zero. Our only weakness has been our low level of interest in public affairs. However, the events of July 2003 show clearly that the level of interest in public affairs is rising more rapidly than anyone would have anticipated. It appears the time is ripe for more progressive constitutional developments within the framework of our Basic Law.

We also need our political parties strengthened. Viable down-to-earth policies can only be formulated by political parties that are robust enough to compete with each other. Strong leadership does not mean forceful leadership, but leadership that elicits strong support. However, strong support will only be forthcoming if the policies proposed are effective and for the benefit of the public. It is time for all of us to give some thought to the future of political parties in Hong Kong.

My comment that July 2003 has been eventful also extends to events occurring in the courtroom. I am proud of the number of solicitors who dare to stand up to authorities and fight for the underprivileged. These solicitors should be our role models and I hope their examples will become the norm in the years to come.

Ip Shing Hing

加快政制改革的步伐

過去一個月來讓我們經歷了許多難忘的事情。相信歷史定會記載 2003 年 7 月份是我們的一國兩制的重要時刻。

一國兩制如要成功落實，香港必須向中央政府履行其應盡的責任。同樣地，香港亦必須向住在這片彈丸之地的市民負責。在這個互動的過程中，任何的一項元素都不能刪掉。

本港現正加快政制改革的步伐。按照《基本法》的規定，政制改革須以循序漸進及有秩序的方式進行，這個原則是十分合理的。革命性的改革往往造成流血事件，而這個結果卻是我們不願意看到的。為了以循序漸進和有秩序的方式發展我們的政治體制，我們必須考慮以下三項主要因素：社會的開放程度、人民的教育水平以及他們對公共事務的興趣。

我可以肯定，香港一直是個開放的社會。本港的資訊流通，對人員流動所作的限制少之又少。毫無疑問，香港市民整體的教育水平亦非常高，文盲率幾乎是零。我們從前唯一的弱點，就是對公共事務缺乏興趣。不過，2003 年 7 月份發生的事件卻印證著市民對公共事務的興趣，正在以超乎我們想像的速度急速提升。看來現在是時候積極進行符合《基本法》規定的政制改革了。

與此同時，政黨的勢力必須不斷壯大。政黨必須具有互相抗衡的力量，才能制定出有利港人而務實的政策。強大的領導班子並不以強權為代表，而是必須能夠得到廣大市民的支持。擬議政策必須有效和符合公眾利益，才能獲得廣大市民的支持。現在是時候讓我們思考香港政黨的未來發展了。

2003 年的 7 月份對我們來說也是具有特別意義的月份。多名律師勇敢地站出來，幫助弱勢社群挑戰政府，我為他們的表現感到驕傲。我們應以這些律師為榜樣。但願他們的行為會是我們日後的常規。