TNAG-2119-FCO40-3025-Future-of-Hong-Kong-general-1990 — Page 63

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The demoralization of the civil servants is inimical to the

integrity and performance of the civil service. It is also part

and parcel of the problem of 'ungovernability' which afflicts

Hong Kong in the transitional stage. The jittery civil servants

have weakened the government. A weakened government, on the other

hand, is bound to invite aggressive demands from the civil

servants, who are increasingly obsessed with their own short-term

self-interests. The spate of pay disputes, industrial actions and

demands for pension guarantees and the British nationality

initiated by the civil servants lately attests to the erosion of

authority of the government, who can no longer rely upon

hierarchical authority to keep its own house in order. The

recalcitrance and unruliness of the civil servants in turn

weakens the authority of the government and its ability to deal

with the escalating public needs. As the government is still the

only organized political force in Hong Kong, its own

'disorganization' is bound to have ominous political

reverberations. The collective actions of the civil servants are

repugnantly received by the general public. At a time when the

people have increased their moral demand on public officials to exercise leadership, their self-seeking behavior would only erode

public trust in and support for the government.

(6) The problem of 'ungovernability' is exacerbated by the poor economic performance of Hong Kong in recent years. Until recently, Hong Kong had recorded impressive growth in its real 21 Cooper and Lui, 'Democracy and the Administrative State,' p.

336.