The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday approved a bill that requires public officers including District Council (DC) members to take an oath of upholding the Basic Law and swearing allegiance to the HKSAR.
The new public offices bill, first brought to the legislature on March 17, will come into effect after its publication in the Gazette on May 21.
Erick Tsang, secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs of the HKSAR government, stressed the necessity of the oath-taking requirement, saying that allowing DC members who do not uphold the Basic Law and do not bear allegiance to the HKSAR to keep their posts will harm the interests of Hong Kong.
The authorities are working on the oath-taking arrangements and will unveil the details soon.
According to the bill, DC members could be suspended for violating their oaths or legal requirements of upholding the Basic Law and pledging allegiance to the HKSAR.
A negative list has also been proposed, which includes breaching the national security law in Hong Kong and advocating "Hong Kong independence," among others.
