Two veterans of Hong Kong’s social work industry have called government-proposed changes to an industry licensing body “political interference” that could undermine the sector’s autonomy. Authorities have said the amendments were needed to address national security concerns.
Eddie Tse, a part-time social worker, said on Wednesday that the government’s proposal to overhaul the Social Workers Registration Board amounted to “serious political interference.” The board is tasked with approving the qualifications of the city’s social workers, and authorities have suggested giving government-appointed members a majority on the board, instead of social workers elected by their peers under the current system.
“The government will have a very strong influence on the board in the future,” Tse said in Cantonese.
Tse and Ng, a retired social worker who declined to give his full name, said they were especially angered by lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen, who represents the social welfare sector, over what they said was his inaction.
Tik had not consulted the sector and was silent during a Legislative Council meeting two weeks ago when authorities briefed lawmakers on the proposed amendment, Ng said.
“As lawmakers made untrue accusations about the board [in the meeting]… Tik did not say a single word, he sat in silence,” Ng said of the May 16 meeting. “Then, on May 20, he said a majority of social workers in the sector believed that reform was necessary. On what basis are you saying this?” Ng asked.
Tik, who was present, did not directly address his silence during the Legislative Council meeting, saying only that not speaking was “his choice.” He said he had spoken to people from the social work sector and was arranging activities to hear their views. He suggested that he, Tse and Ng could meet to discuss the issues another time.
Tse and Ng said after Tik spoke that they were very disappointed in his reply.
‘Slander’
Hong Kong began the legislative process to increase the proportion of government-appointed members in the Social Workers Registration Board last Wednesday, less than a fortnight after Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said changes were needed to “better protect national security.”
In a lengthy Facebook post earlier this month, Sun said the board had allowed social workers who had committed “serious crimes” to join or continue the profession, and voted a social worker onto a panel of reserve members for a disciplinary committee despite a court case related to a rioting charge during the 2019 protests and unrest.
Tse said just 12 days passed between Sun’s Facebook post and the bill appearing before lawmakers last Wednesday, calling the process “hasty.”
“What’s even more of a pity is that lawmakers… did not seriously understand the work of the Social Workers Registration Board,” Tse said, adding that the lawmakers merely took Sun’s words at face value.
Tse said Sun’s accusations were untrue, and even though it was unlikely that social workers would be able to stop the legislative process, he “could not have people spreading slander.”
Regarding social workers convicted of “serious crimes,” he said the board had stringent mechanisms that could result in different penalties such as verbal warnings, written warnings and temporary suspensions of licenses, not just outright revocations of licenses. Only those who passed the rigorous reviews could keep their licenses, he said, adding that the sector believed that people could change.
While Sun did not name names when talking about the social worker facing a rioting charge, local media outlets suggested that he was referring to Jackie Chen, a social worker who faces a retrial after being acquitted of a rioting charge linked to a pro-democracy protest in Wan Chai in August 2019.
Tse said given that Chen was cleared of the offence, she has no criminal record. He questioned why authorities should be able to deprive her of her rights under the common law principle of being innocent until proven guilty.
Rare criticism
Tse and Ng’s statements on Wednesday marked a rare rebuke of government policy in Hong Kong today, where the remaining opposition parties are often silent and civil society groups have disbanded citing concerns over the national security law.
The Legislative Council also lost all opposition after the electoral overhaul three years ago.
Asked by HKFP whether he was afraid there would be consequences to openly expressing disapproval of the government, Tse said Chief Executive John Lee had told the public that the government was open to criticism.
“We think this is objective criticism, so I am not worried,” Tse said.
Besides changing the make-up of the licensing board, the government also proposed measures that would allow the board to “deal with cases of registrations by social workers who have committed serious offences.”
Sun said at the Legislative Council last Wednesday that social workers’ registrations were renewed annually under the current mechanism, meaning that if a social worker committed a serious offence, it would not be considered until their registration cam up for renewal.
The amendments, if passed, would enable “prompt removal” of social workers convicted of serious offences. The welfare chief added, however, that the government did not intend to bar all ex-offenders from being social workers.
The proposal will be discussed in a bills committee – which Tik does not sit on – in the Legislative Council on Thursday. Tik said on Wednesday during Tse and Ng’s protest that he was not a member because there are established quota systems for lawmakers to join bills committees.
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
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