The Invisible Constitution in Comparative Perspective



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The Invisible Constitution in Comparative Perspective by Rosalind Dixon (editor), Adrienne Stone (editor) (z-lib.org)

The Constitutional Orders of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ 

237


MBL (which applies to legislation enacted by the legislature of the relevant 

SAR), art. 160(1) of the HKBL and art. 145(1) of the MBL (which applied at 

the transition in respect of the ‘laws previously in force’). There is no express 

provision on the power of the courts of the HKSAR or MSAR to invalidate or 

determine as invalid any Hong Kong or Macau law that the court considers 

to be inconsistent with the Basic Law, but the courts of the two SARs are 

empowered to interpret the Basic Law, subject to the requirement to seek an 

interpretation from the NPCSC in the circumstances defined in art. 158 of 

the HKBL and art. 143 of the MBL. Furthermore, art. 19(2) of both the HKBL 

and MBL defines the scope of the jurisdiction of the courts of the two SARs 

by reference to their existing jurisdiction before the establishment of the SAR.

8.3.  Constitutional Judicial Review and 

Proportionality Analysis in Hong Kong

8.3.1.  Constitutional Review in Colonial Hong Kong

At the time of the enactment of the HKBL in 1990, there was little case law 

and jurisprudence in colonial Hong Kong on constitutional judicial review of 

legislation, though judicial review of administrative action and of delegated 

legislation in accordance with principles of English administrative law (such 

as the ultra vires doctrine and the Wednesbury unreasonableness standard of 

‘rationality’ review) was well established in the colony.

Hong Kong’s colonial constitution

12

 was contained in the Letters Patent 



issued by the British Crown,

13

 which established the executive, legislative 



and judicial branches of the colonial government. Unlike Acts of Parliament 

which could not be reviewed by British courts because of the doctrine of 

Parliamentary supremacy, the colonial legislature in Hong Kong, i.e., the 

Governor acting with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council, 

only enjoyed limited legislative powers. For example, insofar as its powers 

were derived from the Letters Patent, it could not act ultra vires the Letters 

Patent.

14

 Furthermore, the Colonial Laws Validity Act enacted by the British 



12 

The discussion here draws on Albert H. Y. Chen, ‘The Interpretation of the Basic Law – Com-

mon Law and Mainland Chinese Perspectives’ (2000) 30 Hong Kong Law Journal 380, 417–20.

13 


See generally Norman  Miners,  The Government and Politics of Hong Kong (Hong Kong: 

 

Oxford University Press, 5th edn 1995), ch. 5; Peter Wesley-Smith, Constitutional and Admin-



istrative Law in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Longman Asia, 1995), ch. 2.

14 


See R v. Ibrahim (1913) 8 HKLR 1 (FC); Ho Po Sang v. Director of Public Works [1959] 1 HKLR 

632 (FC). Cf R v. Burah (1878) 3 App. Cas. 889 (PC), at 904–5; Powell v. Apollo Candle Co (1886)  

10 App Cas 282 (PC); Hodge v. R (1883) 9 App Cas 117 (PC).



238 

Albert H. Y. Chen and P. Y. Lo

Parliament in 1865, which was applicable to Hong Kong as it was applicable 

to other parts of the British Empire – provided that colonial laws that were 

repugnant to applicable Acts of Parliament would be null and void.

15

 The 


courts of Hong Kong, including the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council 

in London which served as the final appellate court of the Hong Kong judicial 

system, had the power to review whether any statutory provision enacted by 

the Hong Kong legislature was ultra vires the colonial constitution or other-

wise invalid under the Colonial Laws Validity Act 1865 or any other law that 

limited the legislature’s competence.

In practice, however, the courts of colonial Hong Kong had few opportuni-

ties to exercise this power of constitutional judicial review of legislation.

16

 This 


was because the Letters Patent were only a crude and rudimentary written 

constitution for the colony. It did not contain any guarantee of civil liberties 

and human rights. It did not contain elaborate provisions on the powers of 

and relationship between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of 

the colonial government. Nor did it set up any system of division of power as 

between the colonial government and the metropolitan government.

In the light of this historical background, what happened in 1991 can 

be regarded as the first constitutional revolution in Hong Kong – the sec-

ond being, of course, the reversion to Chinese rule and the HKBL coming 

into force in 1997 (which involved a shift in the Grundnorm).

17

 In 1991, in 



an attempt to restore confidence in Hong Kong’s future which had been 

deeply shaken by the Tiananmen incident of 4 June 1989,

18

 the Hong Kong 



Government introduced and the local legislature passed the Hong Kong Bill 

15 


See Rediffusion (HK) Ltd v. AG [1970] AC 1136 (PC). The HKSAR courts even recognised 

repugnancy under the Colonial Laws Validity Act 1865 in 2003; see A Solicitor v. Law Society 




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