A flag-raising ceremony is held by the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government on Wednesday suggested to legislators that new civil servants who joined after July 1 should sign documents to confirm their support of the Basic Law, and pledge allegiance to the SAR.

The SAR government brought forward the suggestion to the Panel on Public Service of the Legislative Council, the CCTV reported Wednesday.

Public servants at key or high-level positions, or sensitive positions such as those from the disciplined services, administrative officers and information officers, should confirm their supports to the Basic Law and pledge allegiance to the SAR by swearing an oath or signing a document, the government suggested. Other civil servants should go through the process of swearing an oath of signing a document when being promoted or transferred to other positions.

According to the document the Civil Service Bureau handed in to the Legislative Council, some civil servants should chose the way of swearing an oath, such as the senior officials from the Directorate Pay Scale, and that the bureau should consider appropriate recourses processing mechanisms when some civil servants could not obey the requests or violate the oath or declaration.

The bureau noted that the Article 6 of the national security law for Hong Kong echoes the suggestion of civil servants swearing an oath.

The SAR government said that civil servants have the responsibility to support the Basic Law and pledge allegiance to the HKSAR, and the request of introducing oath swear shows the civil servants' consistent duty under the Basic Law and the Civil Service Code, allowing them to be clearly aware of their responsibility and requests with the identity of public positions.

The SAR government said that this suggestion could further promote and protect the core value of the civil servants' team, ensuring the effective administration of the SAR government. The government will follow certain process to consult with the civil servants and discuss plan for practice and details with the Department of Justice on legal issues.

Global Times