Constitution Day can help HK foster patriotism: Wang

As Hong Kong celebrates national Constitution Day with public education campaigns on Monday, the city could help the public better understand the country’s Constitution, foster patriotism, uphold the rule of law and enhance its compatriots’ affinity with the motherland, says the central government’s top liaison official in the HKSAR.

Wang Zhimin, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, made the remarks in an article published on Sunday on the official website of the Liaison Office.

He said it’s of great practical and far-reaching significance for the city to observe Constitution Day and promote public education on the 35th anniversary of the Constitution’s promulgation.

The country’s top legislature — the National People’s Congress — designated Dec 4 as national Constitution Day in late 2014. This year, Constitution Day falls on Monday, and it’s the first time Hong Kong is organizing festivities to mark the occasion.

Wang cited President Xi Jinping’s report delivered at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, reiterating that it’s imperative to act in strict compliance with the Constitution and the Basic Laws of the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, and to improve the systems and mechanisms for enforcing the Basic Laws.

He said Hong Kong’s return to the motherland in 1997 had demonstrated the authority of the Constitution and resumption of the central government’s overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong. The SAR has since been reintegrated into the nation’s overall governing system and, first and foremost, it has been reintegrated into the country’s constitutional jurisdiction.

To ensure the smooth and long-term successful implementation of “one country, two systems”, he stressed that people should properly handle the relations between the country’s Constitution and the HKSAR’s Basic Law, and safeguard the supreme authority of the Constitution.

Strengthening public education in Hong Kong about the Constitution serves several important purposes, Wang said.

Better appreciation of the Constitution can enhance the patriotic spirit and educate Hong Kong compatriots on having national interest at heart. It’s important to have a correct understanding of the relationship between “one country” and “two systems”, and ensure both the central government’s overall jurisdiction over the HKSAR and the city’s high degree of autonomy so that the practice of “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong will not be bent or distorted, he explained.

Deeper understanding of the Constitution will also help uphold the rule of law as a core value of the SAR. Rule of law revolves around the Constitution as the bedrock. The Constitution and the Basic Law provide the highest institutional protection for the rule of law in Hong Kong. Enhancing constitutional awareness will make people better-equipped to fend off any words or deeds that undermine the Constitution and to defend the rule of law, Wang said.

Through such education, he added, Hong Kong will enjoy a smooth sailing in its integration into the country’s overall development so that Hong Kong people, together with their compatriots, can share the historic responsibility of national rejuvenation and the pride of a strong and prosperous China.

It’s important to have a correct understanding of the relationship between ‘one country’ and ‘two systems’, and ensure both the central government’s overall jurisdiction over the HKSAR and the city’s high degree of autonomy .... ” Wang Zhimin, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR