Relaxed atmosphere: Ombudsman Alice Tai says although hobbies outside the office help keep stress at bay, a few favoured possessions in the office can help too!

Handling complaints is not everybody's cup of tea, but Alice Tai believes she has the temperament for it. Being the Ombudsman for over six years, she says the key to staying relaxed is to have interests outside the office, such as golf, studying I-Ching, calligraphy and photography. She also does things to keep her circle of friends and interests wide.

Ms Tai was appointed in 1999, and re-appointed last year for another five-year term. Looking back, she said she did not set herself any targets when accepting the appointment.

"When I accepted, I came from the Judiciary. I had my share of experience with the Ombudsman's Office. What I said to myself was, from my own experience, I would make sure that when I am in the post, I would do justice, to be fair to what I see, to be fearless in speaking out, regardless of whether or not I am angry at the Government or angry at the complainants.

"I want to make sure that first, there is no institutional bias. Second, if I have made a finding, departments or complainants would know the reason for my findings. You may not agree with my conclusion, but at least I would want you to understand why I concluded a case the way I did, and the reasons for that. To that extent, I think I have been able to achieve what I have set out for myself."

Staff training

The office became independent in 2001 and all civil service secondees returned to the Government last Christmas. As most are junior, Ms Tai said one of her objectives for the second term is to ensure staff growth and that they learn quickly the way of Government business, and to retain experience in the office.

"The administrative, financial and personnel systems have all been newly put in place. I need to ensure what I have put in place actually work and they could withstand the test of time.

"We also want to ensure that the ordinance that we operate under, as well as the system and working procedures we now have would enable the office to respond quickly to fluctuations in workload. To have the manpower sufficient to deal with cases in an expedient and timely manner will be some of the things that exercise me in the second term."

Role change

Ms Tai has 25 years Government experience. She joined as an Administrative Officer in 1974. Having served as the first Director of Intellectual Property in 1990, she was made Judiciary Administrator in 1994.

When asked whether the change in role has brought any challenges in her relationship with former colleagues, Ms Tai said: "Not really, from my point of view. I have always been a person that just focuses on the task at hand. When I see something, I would speak my mind.

"I need not worry about anything else, my background does not bother me. The fact that I investigate people who have worked with me or worked for me does not bother me. I am only concerned with the task at hand. I would simply be making my comments and recommendations or, criticisms based on what I see, not based on what I know."

Intimate insight
Ms Tai said her experience gives her an intimate insight into the workings of the Government, and helps her spot problems. Her undergraduate study in law has also helped.

"Although the complaints the Ombudsman handle are about administration, very often complaints are wrapped up in a number of issues, not least of them very often, are legal issues. The fact I have a legal background allows me to identify those issues."

For each complaint Ms Tai reminds herself the complainant expects the Ombudsman to look at the case carefully. However, she will only speak out on what she sees, no matter if the investigation results anger complainants or the Government.

"I am a very straight forward person. If I do not like something, I would speak my mind. I have done that as a person, I have done that as a civil servant. If I feel there are certain principles at stake, I would be prepared to put myself out to take up those issues. After all, coming this year I will have completed 31 years of public service, and my track record speaks for itself."

(Story: Katherine Kwong.  Photo: David Ho)