Opinion | Hong Kong’s welfare failures are a damning indictment of the government and the international community

The government’s woefully inadequate welfare package highlights its failure to implement Basic Law Article 145 to improve people’s livelihoods. The apathy in the business and international communities is shameful. Hongkongers deserve better

Reading Time:3 minutes

Hong Kong is one of the richest cities in the world and can well afford to provide proper housing, education, public health and social services for every Hongkonger. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 9:30am, 24 Jan 2020Updated: 9:50am, 24 Jan 2020

The Hong Kong government’s recent proposals to deal with the social, economic and political issues that motivate the protests reveal a leadership running off the track. It is essentially throwing money around in the hope that it sticks and reaches over one million people.

What are these proposals? Lower the age threshold for the elderly to enjoy reduced public transport fares, cash allowances for up to three months for low-income workers who lose their jobs or are unemployed, housing subsidies for people waiting for a public flat for more than three years, an increase in statutory public holidays to benefit blue-collar workers, and subsidies for protest-hit business sectors.

None of these deal with the core issues of inadequate housing, poor education, and low quality public health and social services. To add insult to injury, the government proposes a ludicrous HK$10.6 billion subsidy for the failed Ocean Park resort.

These proposals are shockingly out of touch when set against Leo Goodstadt’s devastating critique, in A City Mismanaged, of the Hong Kong government’s failure to implement the Article 145 of the Basic Law.

That article states: “On the basis of the previous social welfare system, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall, on its own, formulate policies on the development and improvement of this system in the light of the economic conditions and social needs.”

Goodstadt thoroughly documents the catastrophic failure to provide affordable, quality housing, inexpensive, rigorous school education (including English-speaking skills), better access to universities, and quality public health and social services.