The Housing Authority has announced the introduction of a means test for all prospective public housing tenants. They will not be allowed to exceed the asset limit, and savings, investments and the value of vehicles owned will all be taken into account in making the assessment of wealth. The authority claims this means test is necessary to ensure that the limited homes available go to those with the greatest need. The authority has stipulated that the net assets of a family of four must not exceed $470,000. I think this ceiling is unfair. Do housing officials really believe that a family falling outside this asset limit is not within the group comprising those in greatest need? Take, for example, a family in which the couple are aged over 55. The family's savings may exceed that limit, but don't forget that Hong Kong is a society lacking welfare for the elderly, and other types of welfare. Old people who have little in the way of savings face a difficult old age, given the present low level of subsidies. Is the Government trying to deprive them of their right to ensure for themselves a comfortable retirement? The Government should be building more public flats for home-seekers, instead of reducing the number of legitimate prospective tenants, if it really wants to provide housing to those in greatest need. The Housing Authority has promised to shorten the waiting time for prospective public-flat tenants. However, somewhat paradoxically, it is also trying to reduce expenses by cutting the number of public flats it will build. The authority's claim that it wants to guarantee housing for the most deserving cases is just a way of disguising the fact that the Government is reluctant to realistically meet its citizens' housing needs. OLIVER YUNG KWOK-KEI New Territories
