An open letter signed by government executives who love Hong Kong

2019.07.25

To all Hong Kong citizens, the media, the Chief Executive, all members of the Executive Council, all politically appointed officials and the Commissioner of Police:

We are a group of government executive officers (Executive Officers) who love Hong Kong. We have many years of experience and come from different positions and departments. The Executive Director does not dare to call himself the backbone of the government, but he is responsible for the personnel, financial and administrative matters of almost all policy bureaux and departments of the government, and strives to ensure the smooth operation of the government and serve the general public of Hong Kong. We would like to express our anger and concern over recent events.

Since June, millions of citizens have taken to the streets, with some even risking their lives to protest, clearly expressing their opinions to the government on amending the extradition bill through actions. It is a pity that the chief executive and accountable officials turned a deaf ear to public opinion and acted forcefully in the past. They then made false claims about "suspension" and "end of life", which eventually led to Hong Kong falling into trouble. On the evening of July 21, white-clad thugs openly carried out indiscriminate terrorist attacks in Yuen Long under the pretext of "protecting the family and the clan" in order to create panic and silence the citizens, keeping them in constant panic.

We deeply regret the handling methods of the Chief Executive and responsible officials. Since taking office, the Chief Executive has always emphasized the need for "listening" in policy implementation, and has repeatedly emphasized "communication" recently. However, the voices of millions of people have been echoing in the streets, on the Internet, and in the airwaves in the past two months. Isn't it clear enough to "hear"? The press conference held by the Chief Executive and other department heads and the Commissioner of Police at 3 pm on July 22 also inevitably gave people a sense of courtesy. Not to mention that it was not timely, the Chief Executive and the Commissioner of Police showed no responsibility, and even used excuses to avoid reporters' questions. Their so-called explanations also left people speechless. In the eyes of the chief executive and senior officials, is citizen safety less important than the national emblem?

Citizens' trust is crucial to government administration and police enforcement. We may not have the professional knowledge to comment on the appropriateness of the force used by the police in many recent mass movements. However, we really disagree with the attitude and behavior of some police officers in law enforcement. The responsibility of the police is to protect the safety of citizens' lives and property. They shoot demonstrators in the head with gunfire, beat unarmed citizens with random sticks, evacuate salaried positions and work on the grounds of "hostile environment", and hold hands in front of their eyes. The white-clad thugs armed with offensive weapons adopted a laissez-faire attitude, made the citizens "frightened and reluctant to leave the streets", and attacked journalists in a vicious manner. Was this a "professional" act by the police to protect the citizens? Not only did the police fail to fulfill their duty to protect the public, they were also suspected of colluding with the rioters, committing serious dereliction of duty and violating professional ethics. As public servants, we strongly condemn such actions by the police force.

Here, in response to the five major demands raised by the general public, we urge the government authorities to respond positively, especially by formally withdrawing the amendment and establishing an independent investigation committee.

Finally, we firmly believe that most of our colleagues in the civil service still uphold professionalism and serve the public impartially. We also love Hong Kong and work hard for Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. May we walk together, uphold Hong Kong's core values, and safeguard the freedoms and rights that Hong Kong people deserve. Hong Kong people, come on!

Sincerely, the Chief Executive Officer of the Government who loves Hong Kong