3
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1988
HONG KONG WAS LUCKY TO BE SERVED BY SUCH A HARD-WORKING AND LOYAL TEAM, HE SAID.
"THE WAY THE PUBLIC SERVICE RESPONDS TO A CHALLENGE, AND IS PREPARED TO TACKLE DIFFICULT TASKS IN SUCH AN ENTHUSIASTIC AND UNCOMPLAINING WAY, IS, I BELIEVE, UNIQUE," HE REMARKED.
SIR DAVID REFERRED IN PARTICULAR TO HOW, FOLLOWING THE LARGE INFLUX OF VIETNAMESE, MEMBERS OF A NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS HAD WORKED LONG HOURS AND GAVE UP THEIR FREE TIME TO TAKE CARE OF THE LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE INVOLVED.
"FOR ALL THE JOKES AND
CRITICISM ONE HEARS OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE, I BELIEVE THE COMMUNITY SHOULD, AND I HOPE DOES, RECOGNISE THAT HERE IN HONG KONG OUR PARTICULAR BREED OF CIVIL SERVANT DOES INDEED EARN HIS RICE," HE SAID.
SOME
"CIVIL SERVANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES TOGETHER REPRESENT 12 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION AND THEY DO, OF COURSE, SHARE THE SAME FEARS, THE SAME WORRIES AS THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
"IN COMMON, WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF HONG KONG PEOPLE, APPREHENSIVE ABOUT THE FUTURE.
THEY
ARE
MAJORITY
IN HONG FUTURE MAY
"BUT, LIKE THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE HERE, THE VAST OF THEM ALSO KNOW THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE THEIR HOME
THE KONG AND ARE DETERMINED TO MAKE THE BEST OF WHATEVER HAVE IN STORE FOR THEM.
OF SIR DAVID SAID THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF MOST
MIGHT MORE SENIOR PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT
BE DIFFERENT FROM THAT THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY.
THE
OF
THE "IN MY EXPERIENCE, THE OLD FASHIONED CONCEPT OF SERVICE TO
A STRONG FACTOR IN COMMUNITY AND LOYALTY TO THE GOVERNMENT REMAINS THEIR MOTIVATION," HE SAID.
"THEY REALISE ALSO THAT, AS FAR AS THE FUTURE IS CONCERNED, MANY EYES ARE UPON THEM.
"THE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG, IN THE FUTURE.
A WILL DEPEND TO
LARGE EXTENT ON THE INTEGRITY, EFFICIENCY AND CIVIL LOYALTY OF THE SERVICE AS A WHOLE AND THE PERFORMANCE OF SENIOR SERVANTS IN PARTICULAR,
"IT IS PERHAPS FOR THIS REASON THAT, COMPARED TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR, THE PROPORTION OF
CHOOSING то
THEM
EMIGRATE
REMAINS
VERY
SMALL.
"LONG MAY