Lawmakers hit out at Tang website finding

Lawmakers have challenged a government finding that unpaid work carried out by a government employee for a website belonging to Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen and widely seen as part of his preliminary campaigning for chief executive had not breached any regulations.

They argue that even the private time of high-ranking officials belongs to the government and should be accounted for.

Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam Sui-lung said the administration would not comment on the personal activities of officials. But lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee said that all of Tang's time should belong to the government.

'The government offers the highest officials massive houses, non-accountable entertainment allowances...so their lives are fed by public money,' said Lau, who chairs the New People's Party.

'Therefore all of their time belongs to the government and should be accounted for.'

Pan-democrat Lee Cheuk-yan called for a revamp of the civil service guidelines to close what they see as a 'loophole' that allowed the investigation into the incident to be concluded hastily. It was ruled that a non-civil-service contract information officer has not contravened any rule in helping Tang with the website planning.

A Civil Service Bureau rule prohibits administrative officers, information officers, directorate officers and police officers from participating in such electioneering.