'Public officers must be careful when making comments'
Civil service chief Ingrid Yeung on Thursday warned that adding a disclaimer when expressing personal views does not mean public officers can say whatever they want. Yeung told an RTHK radio programme that civil servants should not make comments that run contrary to the core values they are required to uphold as stipulated in a planned update to the Civil Service Code.   "Does it mean it is okay if I tell others every time that I am speaking in a personal capacity? This is not an absolute licence to say anything when you want, because it depends on the situation," Yeung said. "We also require civil servants to uphold the rule of law and the constitutional order. If what they say impacts these things, even if it's in a personal capacity, I strongly advise my colleagues to not say it, because the consequences will be serious." Unveiled on Wednesday, the proposed update states that public officers must not openly criticise government policies in their capacity as civil servants, among other things. Yeung also said civil servants should watch what they say or do both in real life and online, because there are "many pairs of eyes watching". "If a colleague says something publicly, in this day and age, we all know it's not difficult to relay it to different places, and it's not difficult to relay it to the government. If there are inappropriate comments or behaviour, we will take action," she said. But Suzanne Tong, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Federation of Civil Service Unions, said there are grey areas in the proposed amendment. "We are worried that our colleagues would step over the line. Whether something is considered a criticism or an opinion is very subjective," she told a Commercial Radio programme. Tong also said some colleagues would simply delete their social media accounts altogether to avoid trouble.