Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and all politically appointed officials will donate one month’s remuneration to a charity group as part of the government’s efforts to fight the novel coronavirus epidemic.
According to a statement issued on Friday night, these officials include secretaries of departments and directors of bureaux, the director of the Chief Executive’s Office, undersecretaries and political assistants.
The administration appealed to the public to be united in the battle against the disease
Meanwhile, non-official members of the Executive Council have also unanimously agreed to donate one month’s honorarium to the Community Chest of Hong Kong.
The administration appealed to the public to be united in the battle against the disease in the statement. It also pledged to leave no stone unturned in implementing relief measures under the Anti-epidemic Fund and the 2020-21 Budget to help Hong Kong ride out such difficult times so society can move forward.
The government’s annual budget announced on Wednesday committed HK$120 billion (US$15.4 billion) in reliefs to help individuals and businesses reeling from the economic downturn, adding to its HK$30 billion fund for virus control unveiled last week.
Hours before the statement, Lam sent a letter to Hong Kong’s 176,600 civil servants, underlining their indispensable role in the city’s battle against the novel coronavirus
“The hard work and commitment of the civil service are imperative to the effective implementation of response measures,” Lam said in the letter.
Lam also thanked her front-line colleagues, including those who, back from retirement, volunteered to help at border checkpoints, quarantine centers, hotline service centers and local mask production facilities.
She also promised to address their concerns about the shortage of face masks. The city’s civil servants, who have been working from home since Jan 25, are expected to report for work in their offices on Monday.
Leung Chau-ting, who heads the Hong Kong Federation of Civil Service Unions, said the letter shows Lam knows and cares about civil servants’ concerns after they return to their offices next week.
Mak Kam-fai, a retired fireman and chairman of the Hong Kong Disciplined Services Volunteer Corp, said he believes the views expressed by the CE in the letter will inspire the disciplined services.
One of the responsibilities of civil servants is to provide services to residents, Mak noted, adding that is the reason why a number of police officers and firemen they would like to be volunteers and jointly help to fight against the epidemic.
Also on Friday, the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved an annual pay rise of up to 5.26 percent for civil servants after six meetings of more than a total of 25 hours of deliberation.
The pay hike will be backdated to April 1, 2019 as the proposal has been held up at the city’s legislature after its complex was stormed and heavily vandalized by radicals on July 1 last year.
