Opium accusation inflames grassroots
Legislators representing grassroots interests fought back against claims that those who called for more social welfare were promoting a 'spiritual opium'.
On the first of a two-day debate on the 1996-97 Budget on Wednesday, pro-China legislator Philip Wong Yu-hong warned the idea of handing out 'free lunches' was a 'spiritual opium'' which removed the incentive for young people to work.
But yesterday Bruce Liu Sing-lee, of the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood, said he was shocked by the criticism of those who wanted more welfare for the needy.
'If this is correct, most of the political parties are drug dealers while many people are drug addicts,' he said.
The Government was niggardly about spending on elderly welfare, Mr Liu said.
It was even a 'dementia patient' who had shown its indifference in the Budget to the deaths of many elderly during the recent cold spell, he said.
'The Government should be ashamed of allowing a single old man to live on $40 a day,' he said.
Unionist Lee Cheuk-yan described Mr Wong's remarks as 'mean and unsympathetic'.
'Under his logic, everyone living under that has become a drug addict. This is a serious insult to the needy.' He said the remarks suggested the public should discriminate against the poor.
'I urge the public to see whether welfare recipients are getting free lunches,' Mr Lee said.
'In a total of 130,000 [Comprehensive Social Security Assistance] cases, 120,000 are for the elderly, disabled and single-parent families who are unable to work.
'If society should not provide welfare for them, then should we leave them to die?' Mr Lee asked.
'I think the grassroots will have to tighten their belts in the days after the handover,' he said.
Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, representing the legal profession, supported the call for raising the level of assistance to the elderly by $300.
'One wonders if we have the proportion right when comparing the modest grant of $320 a year for the elderly for social activities with the $50 million Services Support Fund for development of the service industry,' she said.
But Paul Cheng Ming-fun, for the business sector, urged the Government to be cautious when increasing spending on social welfare.
'While we must increase our support for the elderly and the needy, we must also ensure we continue to live within our means,' he said.
'We have to strike a balance between helping those in genuine need' and welfare for welfare's sake, Mr Cheng said.
