Hong Kong was plunged into a constitutional crisis Tuesday as the government tried to block two democratically elected lawmakers from taking their seats in the city’s parliament.
Youngspiration’s Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung were due to retake their oaths of office Wednesday after their initial attempts were deemed unacceptable because of their curse-laden protests last week.
A High Court judge refused officials’ request for a last-minute injunction to prevent the procedure from taking place, but the government was granted the right to seek a judicial review of the matter next month.
Swearing in
In her initial oath, Yau described the city as the “Hong Kong special administrative region of the People’s Re-f**k-ing of Chee-na,” and displayed a flag reading “Hong Kong is not China.”
Leung also seemed to say “Chee-na” during his speech, which some commentators have said was a reference to a derogatory term used in Japan during World War II. Both denied using the term.
Legislative Council President Andrew Leung had agreed to allow the lawmakers to retake their oaths, along with three others whose oaths were deemed to have been ineffective.
He joined the Youngspiration pair as a co-defendant in the judicial review case Tuesday.
Separation of powers
The move by the administration to seek to overrule the legislative body sparked shock among the city’s lawmakers.
In a statement, Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok criticized the government’s action for “severely damaging the separation of powers” stipulated in the city’s constitution.
He accused Hong Kong’s chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, of “not only abusing the judicial process but disrespecting the legislature.”
The Democratic Party said Leung’s actions showed a “total disrespect” for the Legislative Council, while Demosisto lawmaker Nathan Law, a former Umbrella Movement leader, said the lawsuit set a dangerous precedent for the future.
Hong Kong’s Department of Justice and Leung’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.