The Pledge for Political Obedience

All 180,000 civil servants must take oath within a month

 

Starting tomorrow, all government under secretaries and political assistants will take the oath of allegiance to kick start the process for the entire 180,000-strong civil service to be completed within a month. Sources say Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor will personally administer the vows for the political appointees.

Then on Friday, senior civil servants, including permanent secretaries and department heads will also take the oath which is:

Nip pushes through oath allegiance in civil service

I declare that, being appointed as a civil servant of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, I will uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, bear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, be dedicated to my duties and be responsible to the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. 

It's a mouthful to be sure. 

But what is the point of this exercise?

One would assume if someone takes a job with the civil service that they would act in the best interests of Hong Kong, no? Does this really need to be spelled out?

But apparently yes, according to Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen.

Civil servants protested August 2019 in Central

He says those who refuse to take the oath could jeopardize their chances at promotion, or even lose their jobs. Originally Nip said if they breach their promise, they could be violating the national security law, but later revised his statement to say breaching the oath did not necessarily amount to a criminal offense. 

Being vague about it makes civil servants, and by extension the public even more skeptical about the whole oath-taking.

This exercise, where the rest of the civil service will have to sign the declaration, is a witch hunt to find those who participated in the anti-government protests that erupted in June 2019 over the since-withdrawn extradition bill. 

In August last year, thousands of civil servants gathered in Central to demand an independent inquiry into police handling of protests, and the withdrawal of the extradition bill.

Meanwhile those who already joined the civil service since July 1 have already signed the declaration pledging allegiance, almost 3,000 of them.

National security law makes it harder to protest

Why should the government worry about dissent in the civil service ranks when the national security law has already been implemented, making it near impossible for people to protest? 

On top of that because of the coronavirus pandemic, social-distancing measures have limited to two people in public spaces also make it practically meaningless to try to create any kind of visible push back.

Once the civil service have completed declaring their oath to the Hong Kong SAR, who is next? Teachers? The media? 

It can't come fast enough.