Guarantee HK administered by patriots

Hong Kong's Legislative Council passed a bill by a 40-to-1 vote on Wednesday requiring district councilors to swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region when assuming office. This completes the arrangement for making it compulsory for all civil servants to take an oath of allegiance or sign a declaration to that effect before taking office.

Although the district councilors are at a low level in the public office system, they are more in number and closer to local communities and residents. To include them into the oath-taking system was necessary to ensure the principle of "patriots administer Hong Kong" is effectively implemented in grassroots governance.

The oath-taking is more than simply a ceremonial procedure, as those who decline to take the oath or sign a written declaration of allegiance, whichever is required, will be disqualified from assuming their position and banned from running for public office for five years.