Official use of English being 'neglected' by Hong Kong government
Critics say government contravenes own laws by favouring Chinese in communicating with public and media, despite both being official languages
The Hong Kong government has been accused of increasingly neglecting the use of English in communicating with the media and public while showing a clear bias in favour of Chinese.
Critics say such an approach contravenes the equality principle laid down by the Official Languages Ordinance that requires the administration to use both Chinese and English in its official communication.
A prime example is the policy of ministers penning Chinese-only blogs which began about eight years ago and is now a regular practice. No English translations are provided, even though the blogs often contain important policy ideas.
Beyond blogs, there is also a growing trend of ministers delivering public speeches and statements in Chinese. When reporters ask follow-up questions, answers in English are rare.
Setting the example is Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, who made 61 public speeches in Chinese over the 12 months to the end of May. He made 28 speeches in English over the same period. Only six speeches were either delivered in both languages or had English translations.
In comparison, the city's first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, delivered 49 speeches either in both languages or in Chinese with English translations in 2004. Nine speeches were delivered in Chinese only and two speeches in English only.