Censured Secretary for Works likens treatment to Cultural Revolution

A senior civil servant censured by lawmakers for his part in the chaos surrounding the opening of Chek Lap Kok has compared the treatment of officials to that meted out in the Cultural Revolution.

'We have been scolded like dogs,' said Secretary for Works Kwong Hon-sang, who was accused of 'irresponsible assessment and unfounded and mistaken statements' on the airport's readiness by a Legislative Council Select Committee in January.

Mr Kwong, 60, who steps down from his $181,050-a-month post next week, added: 'It's like the Cultural Revolution. The only difference is that we wear suits and shoes rather than being forced to kneel on broken glass and wear grass shoes.' Before the handover the civil service was regarded as highly efficient, he said.

However, the attitude of the public - and legislators in particular - had hardened after the bird flu crisis, the financial turmoil and the airport chaos.

'It is lucky there is no death penalty. Otherwise we would have been sentenced to death,' he said.

Mr Kwong, who served for almost 36 years, said he did not believe a ministerial system would be an improvement.