Govt Demands Civil Servants Stay Neutral, Loyal

The government on Thursday issued what it described as a "solemn statement" demanding that civil servants remain loyal to the Chief Executive and her administration, and warning that action will be taken if staff violate rules on political neutrality.

The statement comes amid growing calls for government employees to join a citywide strike planned for Monday over the ongoing extradition bill crisis, and a series of open letters apparently signed by disgruntled staff from various departments and bureaus.

A government spokesman criticised the anonymous letters, saying it is difficult to verify the identities of those behind them.

He warned that any action that makes the public mistakenly think that civil servants are against the government would be unacceptable.

The spokesman added that some action could undermine the public's confidence that civil servants are politically neutral, create internal conflicts, and seriously affect the operations of the government.

He added that according to the Civil Service code, staff must be completely loyal to the Chief Executive and her administration, and do their best to fulfill their duties.

Civil servants should not be affected by their own political beliefs, the spokesman said, warning that the government will seriously follow up any cases where employees violate the rules.

On Thursday afternoon, RTHK's programme staff union balloted hundreds of members on whether they should join a rally of civil servants in Central on Friday evening, as well as the strike called for Monday. The votes had not yet been counted.