Civil servants taking part in national security law referendum would ‘breach code of conduct’, minister warns
蘋果日報 2020/06/14 12:25
Civil servants who take part in a referendum to green light a general strike opposing an impending national security law will breach their code of conduct, Hong Kong’s civil service minister warned.
A coalition of labor unions, including a civil service staff union and a student activist platform, is set to hold an unofficial referendum next Saturday (June 20) on whether to launch a general strike and school boycott against the promulgation of a national security law.
Secretary for Civil Service Patrick Nip said on a radio show on Friday morning that the purpose of the unofficial referendum was clearly against the impending national security law, yet civil servants had the duty to remain objective and remain loyal to the city’s chief executive.
“If a civil servant takes a stance against the national security law [by participating in the referendum]," this is clearly not acceptable and also breaches the code of conduct,” Nip said. “The referendum will also have no constitutional basis or legal effect and thus is not acceptable either.”
He added that civil servants had a duty to support the implementation of the anti-sedition legislation.
When asked if civil servants too enjoyed the same rights to freedom of expression, he said that while the city’s mini-constitution guaranteed their rights, he reminded civil servants that they also had another identity that would “more or less affect the degree to which they are allowed to express themselves”.
“Civil servants aren’t just normal people who are allowed to say whatever they want,” he said, adding that they needed to be aware of any public statement they make and whether it would have any conflict of interest with their jobs.
Nip also said on Saturday that the government is studying a policy requiring government staff to swear allegiance to the administration and would report its findings to the Legislative Council next month.
A coalition of labor unions, including a civil service staff union and a student activist platform, is set to hold an unofficial referendum next Saturday (June 20) on whether to launch a general strike and school boycott against the promulgation of a national security law.
Secretary for Civil Service Patrick Nip said on a radio show on Friday morning that the purpose of the unofficial referendum was clearly against the impending national security law, yet civil servants had the duty to remain objective and remain loyal to the city’s chief executive.
“If a civil servant takes a stance against the national security law [by participating in the referendum]," this is clearly not acceptable and also breaches the code of conduct,” Nip said. “The referendum will also have no constitutional basis or legal effect and thus is not acceptable either.”
He added that civil servants had a duty to support the implementation of the anti-sedition legislation.
When asked if civil servants too enjoyed the same rights to freedom of expression, he said that while the city’s mini-constitution guaranteed their rights, he reminded civil servants that they also had another identity that would “more or less affect the degree to which they are allowed to express themselves”.
“Civil servants aren’t just normal people who are allowed to say whatever they want,” he said, adding that they needed to be aware of any public statement they make and whether it would have any conflict of interest with their jobs.
Nip also said on Saturday that the government is studying a policy requiring government staff to swear allegiance to the administration and would report its findings to the Legislative Council next month.
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