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拱心石下──從政十八年
吳靄儀在1995年加入立法局任議員至2012年止，身為律師，在立法會一直堅守法治精神，期間卻挑戰不斷：九七立法機關過渡、港人內地子女爭取居港權、23條立法爭論、高鐵興建、議會文化改變等。當中事件更迭、個人省思，均詳盡記錄書中。誠如陳文敏教授言，這本書不單是吳靄儀的從政小傳，更重要的是它見證了香港這二十年來法治的興衰轉變，為回歸前後香港在民主進程和法治建設的重要大事件留下春秋紀錄。
本書取名「拱心石下」，乃由於立法會拱門頂中央那塊梯形楔石，必須不偏不倚，分量十足，才能抵住左右兩方勢力的夾攻，才能將壓力卸回圓拱，不然整道拱門便會塌下，所以它可說是把不同立場的石塊團結起來的中介。在拱心石下仰望，就是仰望這維繫和諧大力的理想位置。
從政十八年，告別議會時，吳靄儀如此形容她的心情：「完成責任，不要多想功過──無論是過去的，未完成的，或應做得更好的。」在這本書中，你不但感受到拱心石的重量，更明白作者如何以舉重若輕的姿態昂然站立於石下，並秉持始終如一的信念，與香港人一路走來。
本書取名「拱心石下」，乃由於立法會拱門頂中央那塊梯形楔石，必須不偏不倚，分量十足，才能抵住左右兩方勢力的夾攻，才能將壓力卸回圓拱，不然整道拱門便會塌下，所以它可說是把不同立場的石塊團結起來的中介。在拱心石下仰望，就是仰望這維繫和諧大力的理想位置。
從政十八年，告別議會時，吳靄儀如此形容她的心情：「完成責任，不要多想功過──無論是過去的，未完成的，或應做得更好的。」在這本書中，你不但感受到拱心石的重量，更明白作者如何以舉重若輕的姿態昂然站立於石下，並秉持始終如一的信念，與香港人一路走來。
- GenresPolitics
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 9, 2018
11 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 4, 2019
This reminds me of the first and foremost task bestowed on a lawyer: to defend the establishment.
Margaret wrote from a place where she believes the judicial system, aka the common law system, aka the Rule of Law in Hong Kong is sound enough to safeguard the city's autonomy and the political freedoms of those who dwell in it, if such system is allowed to truly function at its fullest. And the lawyer's job is to believe that it is.
So Margaret believed and continues to believe, among many other righteous legal practitioners such, that it is. It is all the ground they stand upon to make every argument they have made and will make, it is all the ground that all lawyers ever stood upon, to believe that the law still works in all free men's favor.
But when will a lawyer finally realize that defending the laws itself do not keep the laws intact? When will a lawyer finally stop thinking that the best they can do to voice dissatisfaction with the current legal system is to walk in silence against it? When will a lawyer also become a social activist? When will a laywer also become a politician and doesn't consider it degradation?
But should they be politicians? Can we say that it's also a lawyer's job to put the right laws in place? Or do we need their political neutrality?
But what is political neutrality when a lawyer is determined to serve people with the law exactly because they have an idea of what justice is, and that the law is the most efficient way to realize those political ideals?
Margaret wrote from a place where she believes the judicial system, aka the common law system, aka the Rule of Law in Hong Kong is sound enough to safeguard the city's autonomy and the political freedoms of those who dwell in it, if such system is allowed to truly function at its fullest. And the lawyer's job is to believe that it is.
So Margaret believed and continues to believe, among many other righteous legal practitioners such, that it is. It is all the ground they stand upon to make every argument they have made and will make, it is all the ground that all lawyers ever stood upon, to believe that the law still works in all free men's favor.
But when will a lawyer finally realize that defending the laws itself do not keep the laws intact? When will a lawyer finally stop thinking that the best they can do to voice dissatisfaction with the current legal system is to walk in silence against it? When will a lawyer also become a social activist? When will a laywer also become a politician and doesn't consider it degradation?
But should they be politicians? Can we say that it's also a lawyer's job to put the right laws in place? Or do we need their political neutrality?
But what is political neutrality when a lawyer is determined to serve people with the law exactly because they have an idea of what justice is, and that the law is the most efficient way to realize those political ideals?
May 24, 2020
想了解香港近代議會史嘅必讀之作。吳靄儀藉住呢本自傳，由六七十年代嘅香港講到二零一零年代嘅香港，前後橫跨四五十年。書中有獨立章節講解九七前嘅最後一屆議會（吳靄儀將之形容為「實質權力最大及最具獨立身份和形象的一屆」）、居港權爭議、基本法廿三條抗爭始末等等，字裏行間處處流露自己對議會自主同法律條文字眼嘅執著。我認為最有意思嘅係《三朝構廈為樑棟——三座大樓．三代議會》一章，呢章實在係香港近代議會史一個好好嘅撮要。
以下節錄書中兩段文字：
//常時的立法局有意識地效法西敏寺議會民主模式，英國兩院程序權威典籍Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice也是我們最常用的參政典籍，目的是要香港立法議會媲美世界民主議會，議會獨立自主，是核心原則，所以認真執行會議常規，體現會議常規的精神，就是體現立法局的獨立自主身份。我認同這個看法，我在立法會也特別注重研習《議事規則》，自1998年起，一直任議事規則委員會副主席共14年。//
//我很重視袐書處的質素及效率。我自2001年到2012年參與行管會，心願是創立「議會袐書」（parliamentary secretary）為一個獨特而備受社會尊敬的專業，除了須具備一般行政人員的才能，還須精通議會文化、程序和歷史，有使命感，對議會忠誠。我常對袐書處的同事說，議員的質素每屆不同，再好的議員有一天也會離開議會，但袐書處是常設的，你們的學識和經驗年月積累，一代一代傳下去，在適常的時候能協助議員主持議會事務，袐書處才是議會水準和傳統的真正監護人。//
以下節錄書中兩段文字：
//常時的立法局有意識地效法西敏寺議會民主模式，英國兩院程序權威典籍Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice也是我們最常用的參政典籍，目的是要香港立法議會媲美世界民主議會，議會獨立自主，是核心原則，所以認真執行會議常規，體現會議常規的精神，就是體現立法局的獨立自主身份。我認同這個看法，我在立法會也特別注重研習《議事規則》，自1998年起，一直任議事規則委員會副主席共14年。//
//我很重視袐書處的質素及效率。我自2001年到2012年參與行管會，心願是創立「議會袐書」（parliamentary secretary）為一個獨特而備受社會尊敬的專業，除了須具備一般行政人員的才能，還須精通議會文化、程序和歷史，有使命感，對議會忠誠。我常對袐書處的同事說，議員的質素每屆不同，再好的議員有一天也會離開議會，但袐書處是常設的，你們的學識和經驗年月積累，一代一代傳下去，在適常的時候能協助議員主持議會事務，袐書處才是議會水準和傳統的真正監護人。//
February 12, 2019
A memoir of a former Legco member, also an earnestly-written legal history of contemporary Hong Kong. Not so sure how it may come across to anyone without a legal background but it's heartwarming, inspiring even, to know all the lesser-known effort on safeguarding the rule of law of our city, in this losing battle.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews