Hong Kong civil servants face fury if they dare criticise government

Hong Kong‘s civil servants are set to face disciplinary action if they openly criticise government policies.

The proposed changes to the code of conduct have ignited a firestorm of controversy, with restrictions on comments both in their official capacity and as ordinary residents.

Under the unveiled amendments, civil servants must now uphold political neutrality as one of 12 core values, warned Secretary for the Civil Service, Ingrid Yeung.

“In their capacity as civil servants, they cannot criticise any government policies or support opposing views of other parties.”

This move comes on the heels of Chief Executive John Lee’s directive last year to tighten the government’s control on workers, following their involvement in organising protests during the social unrest in 2019.

A government source revealed to SCMP that civil…