Sad news from Hong Kong. What is the point of government consultation with voters, if government chooses to ignore dissenting views?
An official advisory commission on universal pensions, after three years of discussion and consultations, convened and released its Report on Thursday, 15 December. The Commission on Poverty of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) discussed the Report. LegCo is expected to retain a means-test for social pensions, even though the Report finds overwhelming public support for universal pensions.
According to a note posted on the official website of the Commission on Poverty (CoP), an English version of the advisory commission’s “Report on Public Engagement Exercise on Retirement Protection” will be available “soon”. In the meantime, here is a link to an article that summarizes the Report and the Hong Kong government’s negative reaction to it.
The government is likely to propose a means-tested pension plan in the policy address next year, members of an official advisory commission said after a meeting yesterday.
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chairwoman of the Commission on Poverty, also prevented them from voting on a conclusion on universal pension, according to members. ….
The report released yesterday after the meeting revealed that a majority of the public supported the universal plan, in which every elderly person would get HK$3,000 [US$385] a month, instead of a means-tested one preferred by the government, where only those with assets of less than HK$80,000 [US$10,300] would get such an allowance.