Report on Policy Address
Jasmine Ho (11) F. 3A
Our Chief Executive Mr. Donald Tsang presented the 2008-09 Policy Address on
15th October, 2008. The Policy Address has 4 major themes which are: “Turning
Crises into Opportunities”, “Care for the people”, “Hong Kong Our Home”,
“Effective Governance and Social Harmony”. Here I provide my comments on 2
issues.
Firstly, I would like to talk about the Old Age Allowance. The Hong Kong
Government is considering increase the Old Age Allowance from $700 to $1,000 a
month, but at the same time will introduce a means test. I don’t agree with this
proposal. Ten years ago, those who reached the age of 65 were entitled a monthly
allowance of $400-$500. Then a few years ago, the policy was changed in a way that
those aged 65 could not enjoy the allowance anymore if they couldn’t pass the means
test, until they reached the age of 70 years old. The new proposal is more stringent
that those who cannot pass the means test are not entitled the $1,000 monthly
allowance, no matter how old they are, In my opinion, the introduction of a means test
before granting the old age allowance is unnecessary as it is not in line with the
original intent of providing such allowance. The nature of “old age allowance” is a
type of “fruit money” or pocket money to show our respect to the senior citizens for
their past contribution to the society. Moreover, the administrative cost of managing
such test is high and would not be cost effective. It will unavoidably create a lot of
disputes and sometimes unfair results.
Secondly, I would like to talk about the subject of “optimizing human capital”. One
of the studies that the Government is working on is the development of e-books. It
wants to promote the use of these new learning resources. I agree with this initiative.
As most local schools use textbooks as the main learning resources, every year
students need to buy lots of textbooks for new school terms. The rising price of
textbooks is a big economic burden to many families. Also, textbooks are becoming
thicker and thicker. As a result they are much heavier, which is harmful to our lumbar
spines if we carry them in our schoolbags everyday. Use of e-books is a much better
alternative compared to conventional books. It helps us save money, is
environmentally friendly and would be more attractive to the students.
In summary, I support one proposal but disagree with another one. I hope the Chief
Executive and his administration would take into consideration of public opinion
before they decide on these policies.