Court order to delay invalidation of jab certs won’t undermine govt authority, lawmaker says

Outspoken independent lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon said on Wednesday that she welcomed a court order granting an interim injunction to put on hold the government's invalidation of some 20,000 certificates issued by seven doctors arrested last month, adding that the decision would not undermine government authority.

The certificates were supposed to become invalid today but High Court judge Russell Coleman issued the interim relief order until a judicial review hearing next Thursday.

Kong had previously said on Facebook that Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau had no legal power to invalidate the certificates based on "reasonable doubt."

She also noted that the government may have had a procedural error in revoking the 20,000 certificates before examining them one by one.

Speaking on a radio program this morning, the lawmaker believed the court would eventually rule on whether the SAR government had a valid lawful basis to carry out the move, whereas citizens should respect the court’s decision.

Kong said the court’s interim relief order would not undermine the SAR government’s authority, and in fact, stand as proof that the rule of law is still applicable in Hong Kong.

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