Councillors report Tsuen Wan officer to watchdog

A number of Tsuen Wan district councillors filed a complaint with the Ombudsman today, accusing their government representative and secretariat of maladministration, RTHK reports.

The pro-democracy councillors said Tsuen Wan District Officer Jenny Yip and other staff failed to include motions they had filed in meeting agendas, and had left a meeting when members decided to discuss the issues anyway.

The district officials said the motions, relating to Article 23 national security legislation and a move to prevent officials from Beijing's liaison office from taking part in district events, were outside the scope of the council's responsibilities.

But the councillors denied this, and claimed Yip had violated the principle of political neutrality for civil servants.

The government's relations with the district councils have been strained since the pro-democracy camp's sweeping victory in last November's elections, and the administration has faced repeated accusations that its staff are hindering council meetings in various ways.

RTHK asked the Home Affairs Department for a comment on the latest accusations.