• 129 civil servants have refused to sign a declaration of allegiance to the basic law and HKSAR. They decided to quit the office.
• Reasons for leaving were termination of employment, retirement orders, resignation or dismissal for disciplinary offences among many.
Image: OZONE
The number of civil servants quitting their jobs is hitting headlines routinely, shaking the complacent conscience of people. 129 civil servants have refused to sign a declaration of allegiance to the basic law and HKSAR. They decided to quit the office.
The `loyalty oath to China’ has become the cause of conflict between civil servants/ district councillors and the Hong Kong authorities. Introduced in January this year, the 'loyalty oath' has evoked strong reactions from a section of civil servants and district councillors.
Most of the 129 civil servants who ignored or refused to swear allegiance by the end of August, including 16 members of the disciplined services, have left their posts.
Reasons for leaving were termination of employment, retirement orders, resignation or dismissal for disciplinary offences among many. Several other civil servants are expected to leave soon.
The government had enacted the controversial 'loyalty oath' law in January that tightened patriotic loyalty tests by forcing all civil servants to take an oath of allegiance to Hong Kong and its mini-constitution, the Basic Law.
Under its drive to place "patriots" at the helm of Hong Kong's institutions, authorities have previously disqualified opposition lawmakers and candidates in elections deeming similar oaths as insincere, citing media statements or campaign speeches they said had a "tendency" to undermine the overall interests in Hong Kong.
While on one hand, the government has tightened its grip on civil servants and on the other hand, it has tightened the noose around members of district councils as well.
In May 2021, the HKSAR enacted a similar bill to cover all lawmakers, district councillors, and government staff.
District councils decide little beyond community-level issues, such as garbage collection and bus stops. Beijing and Hong Kong authorities have insisted that all public institutions in the city must be run by people loyal to Beijing.
In the 2019 elections, around 90 per cent of the 452 district council seats in Hong Kong had gone to opposition comprising of anti-China politicians.
So in order to stop district councillors from defying the government orders, Beijing and Hong Kong authorities pushed for this idea, little realising that it would cause resentment to the lawmakers, councillors and government staff.
Reports from China show that 529 non-civil service full- and part-time government staff ignored or refused to take an oath and most of these government staff, have left the government.
The reports also show that nearly 2,000 civil servants have quit the Hong Kong government in 2020-21. It is the highest annual figure in at least 15 years.
The trend to quit the high-profile job has seen a rise from 2006-07 when nearly 400 government workers, which is around 0.3 per cent, left.
The available data from legislators by the Civil Service Bureau indicated that the number surpassed the 1,000 mark in 2015-16. The figure for 2020-21 represented 1.05 per cent.
The government’s argument that the number of those leaving civil services was insignificant, is indicative of its rigid attitude. But the quitting trend cannot be taken lightly as it throws poor light on the Chinese Communist party’s style of functioning.
Meanwhile, the departure of civil servants and government staff has paved the way for filling the vacancies in accordance with Hong Kong's Civil Service Code, says an expert who claimed that their departure will make the HKSAR government operate more smoothly.
He maintained that civil servants who are not `patriotic’ have played a very negative role in government operations. Their departure will set up a benign political environment for the three upcoming elections and helps achieve the ultimate goal of "patriots governing Hong Kong," the expert said.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong authorities have disqualified a district councillor in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) who failed to attend an oath-taking ceremony last week. The HKSAR government said that the validity of seven district councillors oath-taking remains questionable.
The ceremonies came after a bill on oath-taking requirements for district councillors came into force on May 21. As per bill, all district councillors have to take a loyalty oath to the Basic Law and the HKSAR.
Given the circumstances, it is amply clear that the Chinese Communist party’s attempt to tighten its grip on Hong Kong, restricting freedoms and persecuting political opponents after the introduction of the National Security Law, is bound to fail.
More voices against Beijing and Hong Kong authorities will be heard in the days and months come.