'Some Civil Servants Lack National Identity'

The head of the Civil Service College, Oscar Kwok, has stressed the need for civil servants to achieve common goals and meet society's demands.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, Kwok said the quality of civil servants is still high, and rejected suggestions that the aim of setting up the Civil Service College is to rein in staff.

Kwok, a former deputy police commissioner, also pointed out that some civil servants lack a strong enough understanding of the country or a sense of national identity.

He said that was partly due to attempts by others to counter China's rise in the global arena. Kwok also said it was a historical issue dating back to British rule.

Kwok also said there were plans for him to visit civil service academies in Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore to learn from their experiences, but no dates were set because of the pandemic.