Senior civil servants will launch a legal battle to challenge a government decision banning directorate-grade officers from joining the Selection Committee.
The Senior Non-Expatriate Officers Association announced yesterday that five of their council members would file for a judicial review in order to fight for their right to elect the first chief executive and provisional legislature.
Members' names will be put forward if the review is successful.
The five members, including Health and Welfare's Dr Leung Chi-chiu, are at grade D1 or D2 positions. They were barred from sitting on the committee by government guidelines issued on Tuesday.
The guidelines stipulated that senior officials (at directorate grade, or administrative officers), information and police officers may not serve on the Selection Committee, in order to maintain political neutrality and avoid any conflict of interest. But the guidelines did not discuss the provisional legislature.
An association spokesman, Ma Siu-leung, maintained yesterday it was their right to participate and denied it was a move to confront the Government.