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Opinion | Mask handout: another example of a government that doesn’t listen, giving people what they don’t want or need
- The scheme to hand out free reusable masks has turned into a PR disaster. It’s time officials learned to be honest and transparent, and serve the people well
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A phone message from the Hong Kong government sent me into a panic. It said my attempt to apply for its free reusable CuMask+ face mask had failed; there was a reference number and an inquiry hotline if I needed more information.
I certainly did, as there would seem to have been a serious privacy breach. At no time since May 5, when Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor unveiled the item and extolled its merits, did I have any desire to be its proud owner.
My immediate thought was that someone in the government was trying to inflate numbers by applying on behalf of citizens, being aware that take-up of the mask was less than stellar. While there is a particular demographic in Hong Kong only too willing to queue up or be online as soon as possible for a giveaway, they represent a minority.
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I wouldn’t put anything past Lam or her administration these days, so it was, to my mind, possible that teams of civil servants would be assigned to such a task.
As it turns out, the authorities have not stooped so low; days later, after many calls, I found that a Good Samaritan with access to my personal details had made the request on my behalf, thinking it was something I would be happy to receive. The failure was due to my birth date having been keyed in incorrectly.
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Little did that person know that I had no intention of applying for something that I had not asked for, did not require, considered a waste of taxpayers’ money, knew had been produced in non-transparent and questionable circumstances, and was thought of as ugly.
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