}
other hand, if legislators are seen to owe their office to China, or if the SAR legislature is formally or informally required to place China's interests before local interests, then civil servants would feel that they should be indirectly, gommitted to national rather than regional interests."
She added in another context: -
and
"What is required is a departure from the strict confines of internal hierarchical accountability to a wider sense of responsibility and service towards society, implied by the change in the locus of political authority. Civil service training should therefore stress the impact of officials' actions and decisions on specific groups and individuals. Using case studies with practical implications, training should inculcate among participants a willingnes§9 to tackle problems from the clients' point of view
"The fostering of a proactive spirit among public officials is desirable from the point of view of accountability and responsiveness, but it may jeopardise hierarchical discipline which is indisputably an integral part of organisational effectiveness. The dilemma can none the less be alleviated by means of open communication within the bureaucracy.
11
I would think it useful for the Working Group to consider the practical issues inherent in the above propositions. Accountability and responsiveness are two sides of the same coin. There is however, the very important issue of control as well; and in the context of 1997, there are questions of allegiance. The police force provides a crucial example of some of the problems.
(
The following contribution is by Professor Peter Harris, setting out issues for discussion in relation to a very important part indeed of the public service.
(a)
(b)
¿
"Police officers are clearly public servants, visible and
front line and immediately concerned with post-1997 problems. First-hand discussions with the police (chief inspector level) conducted by myself over a period of some years have revealed a number of difficult and even unanswered questions."
Organisation: "Will there really be a continuation of the chain of command when the Royal Hong Kong Police (R.H.K.P.) become the H.K. (Special Administrative Region) Police? Will the P.R.C. police networks liaise harmoniously with the H.K.