TNAG-0084-FCO40-120-Bribery-and-corruption-of-government-officials-1968 — Page 34

Sir,

216 Prince Edward Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

'8th. July, 1963.

Honest civil servants become completely frustrated when they find that not only do they dislike the corruption (moral and actual) that they find in their departments, but that, if they try to struggle against corruption, they, fail to get promotion, or may even leave their jobs. They will then have no way but to write lettere like the following, which is signed, but bears no address:

Dear Madam,

-Corruption is Resettlement Zepartment

corruption

Speaking of corruption, I think there is none worse than the staff im the Works Division of the Resettlement Department. I said this because every minute ** there is corruption and all the staff in the division are in ene frent

from the top to the bottom man. Their only keenness is to get as much as possible out of the Maintenance Contractor. You may wonder why the contracter. does not come forward to complain and the answer to this is simple. Aa the contractor need not pay any money out of his wn pocket. He and the staff merely squeeze the money out of government. It's only the tax payers suffered not the @ontractor. The following would explain the method of squeeze. For example, when a piece of work, say H.K.$1,000 is awarded to the contractor, the Works Division staff in charge would get 20% out of it as the contractor would only use 70% of the usual 100% materials for the job. They lo not care whether it is inferior quality or how long the repairs could last. In this way, 20% would go to the staff and 10% to the contractor and so both parties would be happy. As long as the W/D staff get the usual rebate they never check on the work. They closed their eyes and signed the 0.K. form.

I remember at one time when Shek Kip Mei Estate buildings were re- Fainted. The W/D staff, by the name of Leung Ting Tsun demanded H.K.$500 for each builling whitewashed and there are 30 odd such buildings in the estate one could imagine how much Leung has received. Judging from the annual maintenance expenditure ope could figure out the annual squeeze by the W/D staff.

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There were even complaints in the newspaper that Mr. Austin, a maintenance surveyor of R.D. (Resettlement Department) was forcing his subordinates to buy expensive books such as encyclopedia etc. from his wife, though some of the subordinate staff have no knowledge of English at all.

The worst of the let are: Ne Tsin Yan, Sha Tse Wan, Yau Shiu Hong and Leung Ting Tsun. They must be millionaires by now. Sha goes to the races with thousands of dollars and gamble like a rich merchant. He claimed to have won so this is a good camouflage. Yau's. housing scheme was expensively decorated by one of the contractors, all that was a gift. If you visit his home you will' be amazed to find it looks like a grand hotel. They made all the big money and shared a small portion to their superior, Mr. Austin, who in turn would defend them in case of any accusation against this big four.

I write this with the fervent hope that you will do your best to stamp out such a racket from the resettlement Department which the senior staff of the department could not and this sort of irregularity has been going on for the last decade of years or so without anyone being apprehended by the law. In conclusion I wish to add that I do not wish to have my name

disclosed because of possible reprisal.

Yours sincerely, (Name signed)

(3rd. July, 1968)

The letter is just as sent to me, without correction being made. The malpractice desøribed is very common. One contractor told me himself that on a big government project he had to allow H.K.

1,000,000. for squeeze.

Yours sincerely,

6. Glitt