In the past few months, thanks to our colleagues’ hard work and the concerted efforts of Hong Kong people to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, we have succeeded in bringing down the number of confirmed cases from the peak and maintained a record of 23 straight days of zero local infection. The re-emergence of local cases suggests the volatility of the epidemic, and that the fight against the epidemic will be a prolonged one. We have to remain alert with no room for complacency.
About two months ago, the Government brought back from Wuhan more than one thousand Hong Kong people who had been stranded in Hubei Province. From planning to implementation, and from Hong Kong to Wuhan, I could observe the unity and dedication of civil service colleagues at each and every stage of the operation, which precisely embodied the spirit of “serving the people with all our hearts” among civil servants.
Bringing Hong Kong people back from Hubei was only a small part of our anti-epidemic efforts. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to every one of you in the civil service for your commitment and devotion in this fight against the epidemic. Apart from the colleagues at the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health and the staff of the Hospital Authority, who are at the frontline in the fight, under the leadership of the Chief Executive, colleagues from other departments have also discharged your respective duties in this all-round battle against the pandemic, adhering to the policy of “responding promptly, staying alert to the situation and working in an open and transparent manner”. Whether it be the arrangement of chartered flights to bring Hong Kong people back from Wuhan and other countries; the construction of a large number of quarantine units; the timely implementation of various health control measures at the border control points; the support for people under home quarantine; the launch of the Local Situation Dashboard for dissemination of epidemic information; or the provision of reusable face masks to everyone in Hong Kong, all of these measures have been planned and implemented in an extremely short span of time. Each one of you has gone the extra mile and cooperate seamlessly with one another, and this is what team spirit is about.
While the epidemic is volatile, what is equally worrying is that the social violence, which has beset Hong Kong for months, shows signs of revival. It is understandable that the community differs on the legislative amendments proposed last year and the government’s administration. However, what is unlawful is unlawful. The Police will take resolute and strict enforcement actions against any violent behaviour. The unprecedented impacts brought by the social events last year and the current epidemic have dealt a heavy blow to our society, economy and people’s livelihood. The continued violent and illegal acts can no way help the community recover, and will have severe adverse consequences for the long-term development of Hong Kong.
The Government attaches great importance to the conduct of civil servants because this is what the general public expects of us. I would like to highlight three points in particular.
First, the civil service is the backbone of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Under the “One Country, Two Systems” principle, it is a fundamental duty of civil servants to uphold the Basic Law and pledge allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Second, civil servants must be law-abiding, dedicated, impartial and politically neutral. Whatever their political beliefs, they shall serve the Chief Executive and the Government of the day with total loyalty and to the best of their ability. They shall not allow their own political beliefs to determine or influence the discharge of their official duties. These are the longstanding core values which civil servants in Hong Kong must uphold and should not be abandoned by reason of political controversies.
Third, civil servants must absolutely not participate in any unlawful activities. A total of 43 civil servants have been arrested and are under police investigation or charged for suspected involvement in unlawful public activities since mid-2019. I must stress that the Government adopts a zero-tolerance attitude towards the breaching of the law by civil servants and would not tolerate civil servants who violate the law.
At this difficult juncture, I call upon colleagues to continue to do your best and endeavour to help Hong Kong out of the present predicament and regain its vigour. Civil servants must not support or participate in any action which will disturb peace in society or disrupt the operation of the Government.
Once again I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you for staying committed to your duties and doing your best to serve the community no matter what the difficulties are. I look forward to having more opportunities for communication and exchanges with you. I also hope that you will uphold professionalism and rise to whatever challenges ahead together as a team.