Civil Servants Must Not Oppose New Law: Patrick Nip

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Patrick Nip, said on Friday that civil servants cannot take any action to oppose the incoming national security law, as unions prepare to hold a "referendum" on whether to stage a general strike over the legislation.

In a letter sent to civil servants on Friday, Nip said they are "the backbone of the government" and are expected to support and cooperate with the administration in fulfilling its responsibility to maintain national security.

He said civil servant unions that are openly encouraging people to take part in the referendum would lead people outside Hong Kong into thinking that they represent the majority of civil servants. He said this would be "extremely unfair to those who have performed their duties with loyalty and dedication", and this would also "seriously damage the reputation of the Civil Service".

Nip echoed comments made by Chief Executive Carrie Lam earlier this week that there is no such thing as a "referendum" in Hong Kong, and such votes have neither a constitutional basis nor legal effect.

He reminded civil servants that Article 99 of the Basic Law states that public servants must be dedicated to their duties and be responsible to the SAR government, and that the Civil Service Code states that they must serve the Chief Executive and the government with total loyalty and to the best of their ability, no matter what their own political beliefs are.

The referendum on whether or not to hold a general strike will take place on Saturday.