Civil Servants To Be Given A Month To Sign New Oath

Civil service minister Patrick Nip said on Sunday that violating a new oath for civil servants won't be a criminal offence in itself -- but the behaviour that led to the violation could be illegal.

Around 180,000 civil servants will soon be required to take an oath of allegiance to the Basic Law and the SAR, and they will be given a month to do so.

Those who refuse to pledge allegiance, Nip said, would be allowed to explain themselves.

But they could be sacked or ordered to retire, if their continued service is "not in the public interest".

Meanwhile, Nip was also asked after attending a television interview whether civil servants who breach their oaths would amount to breaking the law.

"Some people asked, is the new oath related to the national security law? I want to make clear, the oath is a pledge. So violating it is not a criminal offence," Nip said.

He stressed authorities will carefully look into the behavior that led to the violation to determine if it was simply a breach of civil service regulations, or whether there were criminal elements involved.

Back in August, Chief Executive Carrie Lam claimed in an interview that there's a need for "stricter management of civil servants".

She said there should be zero tolerance for public servants who engage in "anti-government behaviour", after a civil service union organised a rally to oppose the extradition bill last year.