Civil servants the real election losers

Who will be, and who should be, the major force for implementing Deng Xiaoping's concept of 'Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong'?

Well before the handover 15 years ago, these questions were being asked by Beijing and by the people of Hong Kong, and still a definite answer has yet to be found. The question has become more urgent following Chief Secretary Stephen Lam Sui-lung's announcement at the weekend that he would not be joining the new government.

By default this 'major force' has been provided by the city's 160,000 civil servants, in particular the Administrative Officers, a group known as 'the elite among the elite'.

There are more than 500 Administrative Officers, or AOs, who occupy key government posts after passing entrance exams and undergoing year-round on-the-job training.

However, the plans for restructuring the government announced recently by chief executive-elect Leung Chun-yin, and Sunday's sudden announcement by Lam, the government's second-most senior official after Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, could signal that the end is now in sight for a system introduced by the British.

Recruitment processes for 20 to 30 AO vacancies each year regularly attract 10,000 applicants or more. Requirements include a first- or second-class honours bachelor's degree from a Hong Kong university or equivalent; a pass in the aptitude test in the Common Recruitment Examination; a good command of spoken and written English and Chinese; and a Hong Kong permanent resident status. Candidates with recognised postgraduate degrees are also eligible.