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The Chief Justice said Hong Kong had every reason to anticipate the continuation of a legal and judicial system which had served us so well as the answers were spelt out in Articles 8, 9 and 19 of the Basic Law.
Sir Ti Liang also noted that while Article 158 vested the power of interpretation of the Basic Law in the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (SCNPC), the same Article provided that the Standing Committee should authorise the courts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to interpret on their own, in adjudicating cases, the provisions of the Basic Law which were within the limits of the autonomy of the Region.
As a further safeguard for Hong Kong, the same Article finally provided that SCNPC should consult its Committee for the Basic Law of Hong Kong before giving an interpretation on the Basic Law, he said.
"This Committee for the Basic Law shall consist of 12 members, six from the mainland and six from Hong Kong, including persons from the legal profession, appointed by the SCNPC for a term of office of five years.
"The Hong Kong members shall be nominated jointly by the Chief Executive, President of the Legislative Council and the Chief Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for appointment.
"The tenor of this Article is therefore to leave the interpretation of the bulk of the provisions of the Basic Law in the hands of Hong Kong courts. The provisions in the Basic Law which touch our daily lives and basic freedoms are to be interpreted by
us, on our own.
"A sound legal and judicial infrastructure is in place to take Hong Kong through 1997 and beyond. We will continue to be part of the Common Law world.
"With concerted effort and goodwill on our part, we should look to the future with confidence," Sir Ti Liang concluded.
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