As a rule Britain has bequeathed its former colonies a reliable civil service modelled after its education system back home. By no accident is it proclaimed the empire was built on the playing fields of Eton and Harrow.
Just as in Britain, Hong Kong identifies its promising youths very early and sends them on two divergent career paths, one the academic and the other the technical. This culling practice carries on in the civil service in which the administrative officers are groomed for leadership and all the others are counted on to execute their policy decisions.
The system has some obvious advantages. Among them is that those perceived not to have the ability would have their unrealistic expectations capped so that they may concentrate on doing all they can within the well-understood limitations while the confidence of the precocious few in the ruling class is bolstered. The drawbacks are no less plain and painful.
Among them is the stifling of the personal drive and the shattering of dreams.
But what worked in the past may not in quite the same way today in a modern society. These years, in particular, have seen aspirations raised in the civil service as 'localisation' inspires in many the hope that they will be promoted more rapidly and fairly.
The trouble is that the Government has to maintain a stable civil service at a time when many officers are retiring. There are some who are dismayed that officers are assuming positions which in their minds can be better served by professionals such as themselves. They feel that professional-grade officers are being kept as permanent second-class civil servants, a grievance aggravated by their seeing administrative officers being appointed to the Housing Department, the Immigration Department, the Post Office and soon the Government Information Services Department where the trend has been to promote directors from within the ranks - as it should be.
The Government to them is partial towards the administrative officer corps because its top echelon is staffed by administrative officers. The Government itself thinks these officers, being generalists, capable of policy formulation, can fill the breach in times of emergency.
