Advertisement
Hong Kong politics
OpinionLetters

Letters | Hong Kong civil service ‘political neutrality’ is more about ensuring loyalty

  • Both the colonial and post-handover governments in Hong Kong have deployed the concept of ‘political neutrality’ to their own ends

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Civil servants return to their offices at the government headquarters in Admiralty on May 4, after weeks of working from home due to a coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Nora Tam
Letters
A topical term, “political neutrality”, adopted by both colonial and Hong Kong governments to demonstrate impartiality in policy implementation, has in recent weeks once again been evoked with regard to civil servants. This comes in response to the overt participation of some of them in the anti-extradition bill campaign in the past year (“Hong Kong civil servants ‘not allowed to join anti-government protests’”, July 10).

Regrettably, “political neutrality” for the demonstrated objective has never genuinely existed under either of the systems of governance, but been an instrument to manage civil servants’ loyalty.

For a long time, many key policies themselves in different spheres tell of political positions, such as the political reform of 1995, the 2010 electoral reform, infrastructure planning, and permitting the listing of companies with weighted voting right structures.
Advertisement

In spite of the political slant of these policies, civil servants have implemented them without reservation, and even unknowingly followed the associated political position. These actions do not exemplify the so-called political neutrality.

In the 90s, along with the countdown to the end of British governance in Hong Kong, the colonial administration speculated over whether their governing power would be undermined by losing civil servants’ support which might politically turn towards China. “Political neutrality” of civil servants was then widely propagated to reassure Hongkongers of civil servants’ support and the government’s power.

03:06

Hong Kong’s civil servants, medical personnel rally against government handling of extradition bill crisis

Hong Kong’s civil servants, medical personnel rally against government handling of extradition bill crisis

After reunification in July 1997, the Hong Kong government inherited all civil servants from the colonial government, but their loyalty could be in doubt. “Political neutrality” was retained in the civil servant’s code and managed to subtly manipulate their mentality to elevate their loyalty. Again, “political neutrality” was used to secure civil servants’ support for the government.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x