Don't Politicise Civil Service Oaths, Says CS

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said on Saturday that people should not politicise the requirement that civil servants take an oath of allegiance to the Basic Law and the SAR.

Speaking on RTHK's Accountability programme, he said it’s only a basic responsibility for civil servants to uphold the Basic Law and pledge allegiance to the SAR.

“I think people should not suspect that taking the oath will put civil servants in a difficult position… People should not look at this from a biased point of view, it’s nothing special,” he said.

“It’s like asking you to support your company in an employment contract. When you work for a company, mustn’t you wholeheartedly want the company to develop?”

He said refusing to sign the declaration will lead to questions over their loyalty and suitability to work in the government.

The civil service secretary Patrick Nip had earlier said that those who refuse to take the oath face losing their jobs.

Cheung said he believes most of the SAR's 180,000 civil servants will sign the declaration, as 3,000 newly recruited public officers already have done.

But Cheung refused to be drawn on whether civil servants will still be able to take part in demonstrations, only saying there are existing rules for government workers and it's important for them to stay politically neutral.