Hong Kong Digest

Ming Pao Daily
Most transport subsidy receivers work, but expansion still urged
Lawmakers are urging the Labour Department to review its transport support [subsidy] scheme launched since 2007, quoting the latest figures that showed 90.8 per cent of subsidy receivers in about 30,000 approved cases were already getting pay from work, as opposed to the scheme’s original purpose of encouraging unemployed people to travel to further districts to look for jobs. But lawmakers also requested that the scheme be expanded to cover the whole city rather than just the four districts at present.

Editorial
The government’s newly released political reform consultation paper clearly states that the electoral methods for the 2020 Legislative Council election will be “fair and equal”. But no proposal has been made to cut in the 2012 election functional constituency seats in Legco – which are antithetical to the principle of democracy. This suggests the government is not committed to the promotion of the city’s democratic development.

Sing Tao Daily
Two HK women qualified for mainland match-making with the super-rich
Four Hong Kong young women joined a recent match-making campaign for super-rich mainland men. Two of them have qualified for the last round of five finalists to meet at a party in a luxury cruiser this Saturday a number of super-rich mainland men – who had each paid 36,800 yuan just to enter the campaign. One of the two Hong Kong finalists is a 26-year-old master-degree student. The other is a French-educated mainland architect, 33.

Editorial
A total of HK$567.5 billion has flowed into Hong Kong – mainly its equity and property markets – since October last year. The rising stock and property prices have benefited the city’s government, businesses and individual investors, but will strike a heavy blow to the economy in the event the asset bubble bursts. To avoid this happening, the government should explore ways to direct fund inflows not only to stocks and property but also to businesses. This can both lower the risks and strengthen the economy.

Oriental Daily
Hospital Authority to deploy 100 staff for Games
The Hospital Authority (HA) will deploy more than 100 medical staff at the 21 competition venues in the East Asia Games to be held in Hong Kong in December. Nine public hospitals have also been designated as official hospitals to handle casualties in the games, if any. But an HA manager stressed the deployment would not affect regular medical services in public hospitals.

Apple Daily
AMTD exploits personal data at Park N Shop
AMTD Financial Planning, a joint venture between Cheung Kong (SEHK: 0001) Holdings and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, has received complaints against it for abusing confidential personal data for promotional purposes. AMTD was said to have been using Cheung Kong Holdings’ Park N Shop outlets to collect such data in the name of lucky draws as part of the supermarket chain’s Money Back bonus point programme.

Editorial
The government’s latest political reform blueprint has proposed the addition of ten seats in the legislature, five from direct elections and functional constituency elections respectively. But the proposal is highly unworthy. While those elected from functional constituencies are often individuals who agree to everything proposed by the government, five more of them will cost taxpayers every year an extra sum of HK$1.82 million for their remuneration.

Compiled by Nelson Cheng, Alison Yeung and Wayne Chung