The first batch of Under Secretaries took the oath on Wednesday (16) after the National Security Law came into effect and Hong Kong civil servants were asked to take an oath or sign a statement confirming their support for the Basic Law and allegiance to the Hong Kong SAR. Some barristers criticized the authorities for forcing politically neutral civil servants to take the oath with the intention of clamping down on their thinking.
Many Hong Kong civil servants have been arrested for participating in demonstrations during the anti-China campaign, and some have been criticized and pressured by Chinese and Hong Kong officials for setting up a new association.
The National Security Law passed in July this year requires civil servants to take an oath or sign a declaration of allegiance; from July 1, all new civil servants will be required to sign a document confirming their support for the Basic Law and allegiance to the HKSAR, while existing civil servants will be arranged to sign the document or take an oath of allegiance in batches.
The Hong Kong government issued a press release on Wednesday (16), said all 12 Under Secretaries and 14 Political Assistants were formally sworn to uphold the Basic Law and pledge allegiance to the HKSAR today, witnessed by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.
As seen in a video issued by the Hong Kong government, the ceremony began with the singing of the (Chinese) national anthem and each standing facing the (Chinese) five-star flag and the regional flag, followed by the raising of the right hand and the taking of the oath in Cantonese, led by Under Secretary for the Environment Tse Chin-hwan.
In addition, Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments will take the oath on Friday (18th). In addition, the Civil Service Bureau will announce shortly the specific arrangements regarding the requirement for serving civil servants to sign the oath.
For the Deputy Secretary and Political Assistant to take the oath, the Secretary General of the Civic Party, barrister Leung Ka-sun criticized the Hong Kong government not only failed to tide over the difficulties with the public under the epidemic, but also used an executive order to bypass the Legislative Council to require civil servants to take the oath, which is “an administrative one-liner” and “a show to the central government.
Leung Ka-sun pointed out that the entire oath is very brief, including only support for the Basic Law, allegiance to the SAR Government and compliance with the law, but omitted the points of impartiality and political neutrality in the Civil Service Code.
She questioned: “Now that the oath has been added, if civil servants express their political views on the Internet or participate in joint signatures and marches in their personal capacity during their spare time, can they do so during their official and personal time?
Leung Ka-sun continued to point out that the Code was originally used only to manage the discipline of civil servants to avoid excessive AWOL and deviation from their duties, but today it is used to regulate ideas.
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