Executive Councillors and senior officials were cautious yesterday on calls for them to cut their salaries. Acting Chief Secretary Michael Suen Ming-yeung said such a move would only be a gesture. 'It would be symbolic in nature,' he said. 'How much can we cut?' He declined to say whether he would be willing to reduce his salary. Secretary for Home Affairs David Lan Hong-tsung gave a more positive answer. 'We are all in the same boat. I will be willing to do anything that is good for Hong Kong,' he said. Executive Councillors Tim Chung Shui-ming and Rosanna Wong Yick-ming refused to comment. Civil service unions said they were opposed to pay cuts or freezes. They said officials should be treated fairly, although they urged the Government to introduce measures to improve the economy. Hong Kong Civil Servants General Union chairman Cheung Kwok-biu said the Government should stick with the present mechanism of determining salaries by surveying private companies. One top civil servant said salary cuts would have no significant effect on the economy. 'There are just 2,000 to 3,000 senior officials. The move would be very symbolic.'
