The Government today (January 1) held the oath-taking ceremony for members of the seventh term District Councils (DCs) at the Conference Hall of the Central Government Offices.
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, attended the ceremony. He congratulated the DC members on their taking of oaths and assumption of office. He outlined four requirements for the DC members, namely upholding the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Basic Law) and bearing allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China; ensuring effective communication between the Government and the people by serving as a connection between the two; implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" at the district governance level and upholding the important duty of safeguarding national security; and adopting a people-oriented approach to bring tangible improvements to the community.
Mr Lee also expected the DC members to facilitate the Government in implementing its policies in the districts, strengthening district governance to build a better Hong Kong together.
Pursuant to the Oaths and Declarations Ordinance, all 470 DC members took oaths to uphold the Basic Law and bear allegiance to the HKSAR. The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, served as the oath administrator as authorised by the Chief Executive.
According to the Interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (the Interpretation), the person administering the oath has the duty to ensure that the oath is taken in a lawful manner. He or she shall determine that an oath taken in compliance with the Interpretation and the requirements under the laws of the HKSAR is valid, and that an oath which is not taken in compliance with the Interpretation and the requirements under the laws of the HKSAR is invalid. If the oath taken is determined as invalid, no arrangement shall be made for retaking the oath.
Based on the principles laid down by the Interpretation and the relevant legal provisions, the oath administrator determined that the oaths taken by all 470 DC members were valid.
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