Hong Kong civil service warned to watch out when commenting on government policies
- Warning over civil servants’ public comments on government policy follows first update to code of conduct in 15 years
Hong Kong civil servants have been told to beware of commenting on government policies in a private capacity after their code of conduct was updated for the first time in 15 years.
Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan, the civil service secretary, said on Sunday that if government employees expressed opinions in a personal capacity, they had to make sure their views were not mistaken for official statements.
“They should be careful their comments will not lead to the misunderstanding that those opinions represent the government, their organisations or other civil servants,” Yeung said.
“If they were to be interviewed in their capacity as a public employee, I strongly encourage them to get the opinion of their department and seek permission from their organisation.”
Yeung, speaking in a television interview, said civil servants could register their dissatisfaction through the existing internal channels or their unions.
The updated civil service code came into force on Friday, six months after the government proposed a string of changes designed to guarantee “loyalty, dedication and integrity”.