Tens of thousands of civil servants were instructed by the Hong Kong government on Friday to sign a declaration of loyalty in the next four weeks or face a possible layoff.
The form, issued by the Civil Service Bureau, requires employees to swear an oath to the government and respect the Basic Law.
“Under the Basic Law and the Civil Service Code, it has been consistently the duty of civil servants to respect the Basic Law, pay allegiance to RAEHK, dedicate themselves to their duties and be accountable to the HKSAR Government,” said a statement. by the office.
“This has always been what the government and society expect and demand of them. All civil servants must, in no uncertain terms, recognize and accept these basic duties, ”he added.
The form says: “I declare that, as a civil servant of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, I will respect the Basic Law …, obey the [HKSAR], be dedicated to my duties and be accountable to the RAEHK Government. ”
The city’s best public officials, including RTHK Director Leung Ka-wing pledged to respect the Basic Law and to be loyal to the government at official oath ceremonies last month.
Civil servants must return the signed declaration form within four weeks or face a review of their ability to stay in their jobs.
“Neglect or refusal to take an oath or to sign and properly return a public official’s statement casts serious doubts on his willingness to assume these basic functions and his suitability to remain in the public service to continue to exercise his official functions ”Said a government spokesman during an oath ceremony in December.
Disciplinary procedures
The government said that any public official who has violated his allegiance to oaths will be subject to existing disciplinary mechanisms.
In a circular, the government said that the following conduct cannot be seen in a genuine way with the Basic Law:
– defend the independence of HK
– refusing to recognize the PRC’s sovereignty over HK
– request the intervention of external forces
– activities that endanger national security– Timmy Sung
(@timmysung) January 15, 2021
Activities deemed contrary to compliance with the Basic Law include defending Hong Kong’s independence, soliciting foreign interference in its business and other acts deemed dangerous to national security, according to a government circular cited by an official.
The reporting requirement applies to employees appointed before July 1 of last year. Those who joined after that date have already signed – more than 4,000 of them, according to government data.
