Hong Kong ex-civil servant lodges legal bid against government for ordering his retirement after he questioned need for oath
- Wong Chau-ming says he was forced to ‘retire in the public interest’ from his tax officer post with the Inland Revenue Department, where he had worked for more than 25 years
- Court papers state Wong had questioned the need for the civil service oath, but eventually submitted his declaration months later
A former Hong Kong civil servant has lodged a legal challenge against authorities’ decision to order his retirement after he questioned the need to declare allegiance to the city as mandated by the government.
Wong Chau-ming said he was forced to “retire in the public interest” on August 30 from his post as an assistant taxation officer of the Inland Revenue Department, a division where he had worked for more than 25 years since June 1996.
Court filings made available on Tuesday showed that Wong – whose age was not revealed – had been asked to submit a signed declaration on January 28, which prompted him to write to the department the following month, inquiring about the necessity of signing the paper and what was meant by contravening it.
Wong then learned his case would be referred to the secretary for the civil service to determine whether to direct his retirement, in accordance with the Public Service (Administration) Order.
He subsequently submitted a signed declaration on August 12, a day before the deadline for him to make representations about the proposed retirement.
In reply, on August 30, the secretary ordered Wong’s retirement, with the commissioner of inland revenue stating that his leave clearance would begin the next day, until the effective date of his retirement on October 25.
