The first of the Civility Dialogue Series organised by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) was held at the multi-purpose hall of student residence on 25 February. Mr Joseph Wong Wing-ping, former Civil Service Minister, shared his views on the topic “From Minister to Political Commentator”.

The Series is coordinated by Dr Cheung Chor-yung, Residence Master of Alumni Civility Hall and Senior Teaching Fellow of the Department of Public and Social Administration, to help students broaden their vision by meeting people who have made significant contributions to the community.

“Since I became residence master this academic year, I’ve been trying my best to make the residence life a rich and meaningful one for university students. With this desire in mind, I’ve decided to invite various guests to come and share their views and experiences with our students,” said Dr Cheung. “I am currently discussing with Dr Kevin Downing, Residence Master of HSBC Prosperity Hall, to see if we can hold more and different types of seminars to benefit our students.”

At the beginning of the seminar, Mr Wong outlined his views on the government’s newly released budget. Then he started to discuss three topics, namely “Administrative Officers: Why they will have a brighter future in the government?”, “Two kinds of political experience: From minister to commentator”, and “Good governance: Does Hong Kong have it now?” Through the discussions, he analysed the prospect for administrative officers in the government and the current constitutional structure in the territory.

“Humility and objective analysis are the key to success in working at whatever job position or commenting on whatever issues,” concluded Mr Wong.

Following his talk, students and alumni enthusiastically asked questions. Some students interested in joining the civil service asked for advice on how to equip themselves for government jobs. Mr Wong pointed out that, besides excellent language proficiency and communication skills, familiarity with current affairs and ability of critical thinking are very important. He then illustrated his points with vivid examples. Mr Patrick Lee Chung-wah, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Convocation, also attended the seminar.

Cheung Ho-lung, Year 1 student of the Department of Building and Construction and President of the Resident’s Association, felt that he could benefit a lot from Mr Wong’s sharing. “Mr Wong is very friendly and his skills at dealing with contingency and solving problems are highly admirable,” said Cheung Ho-lung. “I would like to thank the Student Residence Office for holding this series of activities to enable us to meet in person with distinguished social leaders and learn interpersonal skills from them.”

The second talk of the Civility Dialogue Series will be held in March, with Legislative Councillor Mr Wong Yuk-man invited to speak on “Banana Throwing and the Social Responsibility of University Students”. The third talk, scheduled in September on the topic “China and University Students in Hong Kong”, will be hosted by Dr Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, Member of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress of China.