‘Stay humble’: Hong Kong government advisers urge district officers to avoid fostering culture of flattery after farewell banquet for official sparks controversy
- ‘Excessive flattery and personal adulation are disconcerting,’ Executive Council convenor Regina Ip warns following farewell dinner for Wong Tai Sin District Officer Steve Wong
- Banquet was attended by 500 people, including officials, lawmakers and representatives of pro-Beijing district groups
Two Hong Kong government advisers have urged district officers to guard against fostering a culture of flattery and excessive admiration following mounting controversy over the cost and size of a farewell banquet for a middle-ranking official.
Executive Council convenor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee and member Ronny Tong Ka-wah on Saturday joined former city leader Leung Chun-ying in raising concerns over the dinner hosted by the pro-establishment camp on Thursday for Wong Tai Sin District Officer Steve Wong Chi-wah ahead of his move to Beijing for a year for further studies.
More than 500 people, including officials, lawmakers and representatives of pro-Beijing district groups, attended the banquet at a Chinese restaurant in Kowloon Bay, which drew criticism over its size and undisclosed cost. It was organised by the Kowloon Federation of Associations, an umbrella group of pro-establishment community organisations.
Ip said the officers should be vigilant in their conduct as they would be given more authority under the government’s revamp of the district councils later this year, a move that made them the “chief executive” of their respective areas.
“District officers will have a lot more influence under the new system. They must be vigilant to guard against a ‘flattery culture’ because of their increased influence,” she told the Post.
“Excessive flattery and personal adulation are disconcerting … administrative officers should work hard, blend in well with the local community but also stay humble.”
The revamp will see officers serve as chairs of their respective councils and lead three district committees, namely the Area Committee, District Fight Crime Committee and District Fire Safety Committee, as well as newly formed community care teams.
As the heads of the district councils, the officers will be granted new powers such as setting the meeting rules and assigning consultation tasks to councillors.
Tong agreed with Ip, saying it was “inappropriate” for government officials to take part in large-scale banquets as this would foster a culture of flattery.
“The public has the freedom to show their appreciation for a particular official, but there are concerns that the scale of the banquet was excessive,” he said.
In a Facebook post on Friday, former chief executive Leung criticised what he called growing “ostentatious and extravagant” practices by the pro-establishment camp, saying it needed to stop.
“We need to put a brake on this ostentatious and extravagant trend,” he said.
“Where did the money come from? What are the benefits? Does it achieve positive social or political outcomes, or rather is there a negative impact?”
Wong, who joined the Administrative Service in 2009 and took up the post of district officer in 2020, apologised for the dinner, particularly addressing the “perception problem” associated with the event, in a post on the Home Affairs Department’s Facebook page on Friday.
It remains unclear if Wong has declared his attendance at the dinner and the souvenirs he received in accordance with the Civil Service Code. Photos from the event show he was gifted calligraphy artworks and a miniature of himself.
When asked if Wong had made the declarations, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen on Saturday said “our colleagues will make the declarations in accordance with the relevant procedures”.
Democratic Party chairman Lo Kin-hei said the banquet could give rise to a conflict of interest if Wong was promoted in the future.
“Wong has set a bad example in the civil service where officials should not risk having any conflicts of interest,” he said.
But former district councillor Chan Kam-lam, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong who attended the dinner, called the banquet “no big deal”, saying he did not understand the public fuss over it.
“It was just a community activity and reflected the overwhelming support [Wong] received from the district residents,” he said. “It’s very common for district bodies to bid farewell to district officers.”
He said many district residents wanted to show their appreciation for Wong as he had done a lot for people during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as securing essential resources and assisting with testing arrangements.
Minister Mak compared the recent rise in the number of banquets and gatherings to the post-pandemic “revenge travel” phenomenon , as people were eager to meet up, but she advised the community leaders to send letters instead to show appreciation to officials.
“People don’t need to put on such an extravaganza and spend so much. Serving the community is part of the job of the district officers as well as our colleagues of the Home Affairs Department and the teams at the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau,” she said.
She appealed for an end to events that were organised merely to show appreciation or celebrate an occasion for government officials, adding that she believed even Wong himself thought the farewell dinner “did not have to be so extravagant”.
A spokeswoman for the department said the banquet was organised and funded by various bodies in Wong Tai Sin without the use of public funds, adding the gifts for Wong were just low-value souvenirs that would be declared in accordance with current rules.
Additional reporting by Kahon Chan
