There are a number of core values, practices and principles which we have dearly cherished and to which we have attached great importance in our society – the commitment to the rule of law, respect for different views, peaceful and rational communication, objection to the use of violence, etc. All these are now being challenged.
The civil service likewise has a set of core values and principles – law-abiding, dedication, impartiality, political neutrality, etc. These values are also what the general public expects of us. Civil service colleagues have all along upheld these core values and principles in discharging their duties. Members of the public have placed their trust in the civil service. I am deeply grateful to and proud of our colleagues.
The Government has been listening to the views of colleagues through various internal channels. We understand that some colleagues may have their own thoughts on recent events. However, civil servants must maintain political neutrality. I absolutely cannot agree to colleagues organising or participating in any political assembly or strike in the name of civil servants, because this will damage the general public’s confidence in the political neutrality of the civil service and in our colleagues’ discharge of duties in an impartial manner. The public may even be led to mistakenly believe that those colleagues are representing all civil servants or their respective departments, and think that civil servants are acting against the Government. These will create divisions and conflicts within the Government. Such a misunderstanding is extremely unfair to the 180 000-strong civil service as a whole, and will seriously affect the Government’s effective operation, implementation of policies, and the delivery of services to the public.
According to the Civil Service Code, political neutrality means that civil servants shall serve the Chief Executive and the Government of the day with total loyalty and to the best of their ability, no matter what their own political beliefs are. They shall not allow their own personal political beliefs to determine or influence the discharge of their official duties and responsibilities. The Government will, in accordance with the established mechanism, seriously follow up any violations of regulations by civil servants.
When civil servants express their views, they should ensure that their views would not give rise to any conflict of interest with their official duties, or might not be seen to compromise the important principle of maintaining impartiality and political neutrality when discharging their duties. Civil servants shall at all times ensure that their behaviour would not impede their performance of official duties in a fair and professional manner.
I also hope that our Government colleagues will not forget their original aspiration to serve the community. As civil servants, we should defend the core values and principles of the civil service and discharge our duties wholeheartedly. We must not fail to live up to public expectations.
Whether working at frontline posts to provide services to the general public, to maintain law and order or to provide emergency services, or at back-offices responsible for support services or formulating and implementing policy initiatives, all civil servants share the same mission of serving the community.
The entire civil service has to stay united amidst all the pressure and challenges. This is a difficult moment, and we must act in the overall interest of Hong Kong. I call on all of you to work together to uphold the core values of the civil service and not to affect the effective operation of the Government because of personal beliefs, as this may undermine public confidence in the impartial discharge of duties by civil servants.