XN000022-1994-10-06 — Page 7

5

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1994

MR VINCENT CHENG:

THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN. GOVERNOR, IN THE CURRENT TUG-OF-WAR BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA, THE CIVIL SERVANTS HAVE THE UNENVIABLE TASK OF DEFENDING POLICIES WITH WHICH CHINA DOES NOT WHOLLY AGREE. NOW, WHAT MEASURES CAN YOU, SIR, PUT IN TO ENSURE THAT THESE FINE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE CAUGHT IN THE CROSS-FIRE BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA CAN CONTINUE TO SERVE HONG KONG AS A CIVIL SERVANT AFTER 1997?

GOVERNOR :

CAN I SAY STRAIGHTAWAY THAT I DON'T SEE PRESENT ARGUMENTS AS BEING A TUG-OF-WAR, THOUGH I RECOGNISE THAT IF THERE ISN'T A HARMONIOUS RELATIONSHIP IT MAKES THE TASK OF OUR EXTREMELY FINE CIVIL SERVICE ALL THE MORE DIFFICULT. THE CIVIL SERVICE DO REQUIRE REASSURANCES ABOUT THE FUTURE. THEY DO IN SOME CASES NEED TO BF CONVINCED THAT THEY CAN, TO BORROW A PHRASE, PUT THEIR MINDS AT REST. I THINK IT IS REASONABLE TO SAY THAT CIVIL SERVANTS HAVEN'T PRESSED FOR A PENSION FUND BECAUSE THEY ARE WORRIED THAT THEIR PENSION WON'T BE HONOURED BEFORE 1997. I DON'T THINK THAT CIVIL SERVANTS BELIEVE THAT THEIR TASK IS GOING TO BE POLITICISED BEFORE 1997 OR THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE CHOSEN ON OTHER THAN MERIT BEFORE 1997. SO I THINK THAT IT IS INCUMBENT UPON BOTH CHINESE OFFICIALS AND OURSELVES TO MAKE SURE THAT CIVIL SERVANTS RECOGNISE THAT THE PUBLIC SERVICE GOING TO BE RUN ON THE SAME BASIS OF PROFESSIONALISM AND INTEGRITY THE FUTURE AS IT HAS BEEN RUN IN THE PAST.

IS IN

I THINK THAT WHEN INDIVIDUAL CIVIL SERVANTS WHO HAVE DONE THEIR BEST FOR HONG KONG ARE SUBJECT TO PUBLIC ATTACK AND PRIVATE INNUENDO, IT IS EXTREMELY BAD FOR THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN THIS TERRITORY, AND THAT IS BEFORE AND AFTER 1997. AND I SUSPECT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER KNOWS EXAMPLES OF EXACTLY WHAT I'VE SAID. PEOPLE VERY OFTEN SAY, AND THEY ARE RIGHT SO TO DO, THAT ONE OF THE REASONS FOR HONG KONG'S OUTSTANDING SUCCESS IS THE QUALITY OF OUR CIVIL SERVICE. AND THAT ISN'T JUST A QUESTION OF INTELLIGENCE AND INCORRUPTABILITY, IT IS ALSO A QUESTION OF PROMOTION ON MERIT AND OF KNOWING PRECISELY WHO YOU ARE WORKING FOR. THE CIVIL SERVICE IN HONG KONG IS WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. THE GOVERNMENT IS WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. WE SHOULDN'T PERSONALISE 1SSUES. CIVIL SERVANTS ARE LOYAL TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THE GOVERNMENT SERVES THE PEOPLE. THE GOVERNMENT IS ALSO ACCOUNTABLE, IT HAS TO BE SAID, TO THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. I JUST HOPE THAT THESE MATTERS ARE AS WIDELY UNDERSTOOD AS THEY SHOULD BE BECAUSE IF THEY ARE NOT WIDELY UNDERSTOOD, HONG KONG WILL SUFFER, AS WELL AS VERY FINE INDIVIDUAL MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES TO THE CIVIL SERVICE OF THIS COMMUNITY.

IF I CAN JUST ADD ONE OTHER THING. I HOPE THAT

AS WELL AS LISTENING WITH PËRHAPS PRIVATE AGREEMENT TO THE REMARKS I HAVE JUST MADE, INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WILL MAKE THE SAME POINTS BOTH PRIVATELY AND PUBLICLY IN HONG KONG AND ELSEWHERE BECAUSE THOSE ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT POINTS AND RELATE DIRECTLY TO THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF THIS COMMUNITY.

/MRS MIRIAM LAU: