Handouts show government's lack of vision
Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah agreed to amend the budget in response to criticisms that showed Hong Kong people's higher expectations from their government.
The HK$6,000 payout for adult permanent residents in Hong Kong and Mr Tsang's other giveaways were essentially one-off payments designed to appease the general public. However, these sweeteners, totalling some HK$40 billion, have failed to deal with the pressing needs of society, especially those of the elderly and low-income families.
Branded a 'patchwork' of public spending from previous years, this year's budget has triggered widespread public resentment, and these feelings have not subsided.
In Hong Kong, some 912,000 people aged 60 and above (according to 2006 census figures) are living in poverty; many of them are singletons suffering from ill health.
The proposed increase to HK$500 [from HK$250] of the annual health care voucher [for people aged 70 or over] will be of little help for the elderly who are chronically ill and have to bear a heavy burden when it comes to medical bills.
In our public hospitals, patients have to queue up for almost everything - registration, tests, paying fees, getting medication and obtaining a time slot for surgery. Doctors and nurses are in short supply, as reflected by their turnover rate. Inadequate community nursing and home help services aggravate the plight of the elderly.
