Selfish blame culture pervades Hong Kong
I agree with Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai ("Basic respect", October 9) that we have to give people dignity, especially those who choose to work instead of receiving any form of social support. I am a supporter of the minimum wage, and it must be set at such a level that workers end up better off than if they were claiming CSSA plus travel expenses.
The minimum wage should permit the breadwinner to keep his or her family above the poverty line. If we choose to use taxpayers' money to support those who fall below the poverty line, then society is actually supporting those employers who choose to pay less than they should. That doesn't seem fair.
I am not against CSSA. Those in need should be supported. But Hong Kong people are clever people. They know how to calculate the benefits of working versus not working. If a person chooses to work and his or her income, less travel expenses, is lower than the CSSA payment, then there is no incentive to work. Furthermore, to give CSSA recipients some dignity, they should be expected to do community service so they can be of value to society as well.
In recent years, Hong Kong people have become too dependent. If we have a problem, we turn to the government. And if we see that the city's government cannot handle it, we turn to the central government. This concept is wrong. Following the handover, Hong Kong is the richest city in China. We also enjoy support from the central government in terms of defence and diplomacy, which puts us in a much better position when compared with, say, Singapore.
Instead of thinking how we can contribute to the country, we ask the country to support us in times of economic downturn (not crises). When measures such as the Individual Visit Scheme are introduced, we moan about tourists pushing up prices, but we are silent about the economic contributions of these people.
We used to be proud of our Under the Lion Rock spirit. But now, a self-centred culture, a blame culture, a dependent culture, is spreading. Perhaps it is time for us to reflect on our social values and revitalise the "gung-ho" Hong Kong spirit.