Suspending Mass Testing Gets Lam Praise and Condemnation

Yesterday Lam announced mass testing to be suspended

After Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced Hong Kong would put mass universal testing on hold indefinitely, mainlanders complained that the former British colony was "lying flat", a slang term meaning doing nothing.

However, Dr Liang Wannian, head of the National Health Commission's Covid Response Expert Team who had visited Hong Kong recently, came to Lam's defence today. He said postponing mass testing was based on a scientifically-based decision.

Liang said Hong Kong was not "lying flat"

He said the strategy of "three reductions" in minimising infections, severe cases and deaths, "three focuses" in identifying key groups, organisations and districts, and "one priority" in treating the elderly had yielded positive results.

"Therefore it cannot be said that epidemic control is relaxed without doing universal testing," Liang said. "Hong Kong is actually expanding its testing capacity... and allowing citizens to use rapid antigen tests at home so infections can be detected earlier and managed. I think the combination of these measures is of great significance to Hong Kong's epidemic prevention and control."

Despite the heavyweight endorsement from medical expert Liang, Hong Kong's leader is getting a salvo across the bow from pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, who is considering putting forward a non-confidence vote against her for flip-flopping on universal testing.

If his motion is tabled, it will be the first one initiated by a pro-Beijing legislator since the handover in 1997, in other words in almost 25 years.

But so far, none of his colleagues are publicly supporting his proposal, with one lawmaker calling it a "political stunt".

Isolation facilities are not 100 percent capacity

Isn't that what Ho is about? 

In any event, he blasted Lam for suspending the universal testing drive, saying preparation, including new quarantine facilities and laboratories supported by mainland Chinese authorities, had gone down the drain.

"We trust the [Hong Kong] government because we wholeheartedly trust the central government. But now you've told us things won't be carried out according to what you said... Tell us then, should we listen to you or not?" Ho said at a press conference today in support of small and medium enterprises struggling with the city's Covid-19 measures.

"There's only a spokesman for the government called the chief executive who seems to have a lot of spare time coming out everyday and talking hogwash as golden scripture... I feel disgusted seeing her face," he said, referring to her daily press briefings now in her second week.

Also he himself has experienced first hand what it's like to be in a quarantine camp in early February, but he is keen on making sure others have to go through what he did...

Ho when he was in his quarantine facilities

Ho accused the chief executive of a lack of overall planning, foresight, resolution and determination in the face of the fifth wave, which has claimed more than 6,000 lives. He urged residents to "hold Lam accountable" and push her to spell out a clear policy direction.

Interesting that he is taking this tack, though he and other pro-establishment lawmakers like Dominic Lee Tsz-king, Chan Hoi-yan and Michael Tian Puk-sun voiced their disappointment at the suspension of universal testing.

With Ho stirring the pot, he is creating yet another headache for Lam, but this is what happens when there is no more loyal opposition in the Legislative Council -- infighting within the pro-Beijing camp was bound to erupt eventually.

This is not the side show Lam needs right now, but for the rest of us desperate for any kind of entertainment since all cinemas, performing arts venues, and concerts are closed, we're socially distanced and watching this political diversion unfold with popcorn in hand.

Hong Kong Health Code Coming Soon

HK will soon launch its health code app for crossing the border

Hong Kong businesses are pushing the government to release the new Covid-19 tracing app so that users can go across the border to China as early as the end of December. However, potential users are concerned about what kind of information the authorities will retain.

Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu revealed on Thursday that for residents to qualify for the scheme, they would have to use the Hong Kong Health Code app, which would log a user's name, infection status, and after they cross the border, their whereabouts on the mainland.

Lee says the app to only track movement in China

The Innovation and Technology Bureau will reveal more details next week about the app, which is in the final stages of testing.

It has been reported that quarantine-free travel will be limited to Guangdong province initially.

While the new app will not log users' whereabouts in Hong Kong, their movements will be tracked after they cross the border and the data links up with the mainland's health code app.

The new local software will also be tied to the government's existing risk-exposure notification Leave Home Safe app, which has raised privacy concerns among local residents despite repeated assurances from the authorities that it does not collect personal data or travel history.

While some Hong Kong residents are anxious to go to the mainland for business, they have reservations about the upcoming app.

Initially HK people can only go to Guangdong

"It will be reasonable if details related to Covid-19 are required, for example, which hotel I stay in China, which restaurant I go to and where I have been to," said Hilton Law Yiu-chung, CEO of a software developer.

"I hope they will not require information on my personal contacts, like my folks and friends."

Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun said residents should not worry too much about the new app.

"Users can be rest assured that the Hong Kong Health Code app won't track down their whereabouts in Hong Kong because they will transit to the mainland's health code app upon arrival at the other side of the border."

But would the health code app immediately switch back to the Hong Kong one as soon as one returns to the city, or would it continue tracking people?

Tien says app may launch in early February

Unless someone used a burner phone it's hard to be reassured that it's so simple.

Tien added that he expected the scheme to launch after Chinese New Year at the start of February, given the lack of official consensus on several issues.

Or both sides could continue discussing well until after the Olympics is over before anything starts...

Hongkongers React to Mandatory Tracing App

People using the app on their smartphones at govt buildings

As expected, the first day of making the Leave Home Safe app mandatory in many government buildings including wet markets, libraries, swimming pools did not go as smoothly as expected.

Even a man who had fallen, bloodied his head and rushed to emergency, had to use the app in order to enter the hospital.

And in a show of force, five people who work at Immigration Tower in Wan Chai were arrested for using a fake app. Two were immigration officers, one a member of staff at the Audit Commission and two contractors.

An injured man had to use app to go to hospital

And these people are working for the government...

Meanwhile for ordinary folk, this morning there were lots of people in front of the entrance of the Pei Ho Street Market in Sham Shui Po as many elderly people sought the help of others in installing or using the contact-tracing app.

One shopper, surnamed Wong, resorted to buying a new smartphone to use the app.

"It is too troublesome to fill in a form every time you enter a venue. I had no choice but to buy a new phone," said the 60-year-old.

The media also discovered there weren't enough security guards at all the wet market entrances to enforce use of the app so many snuck in without scanning the QR code.

At Sha Tin Public Library, people moaned about using the app.

"It's convenient for some of us, but not convenient for elderly people who don't have a smartphone... To be honest, many jobless people don't have a phone. What can they do?" asked a man surnamed Ng.

A woman who gave her name as Jenny said she had planned to go to the library but was not willing to use the app to go in.

"Since they require me to scan the QR code, I decided not to enter," she said.

A housewife surnamed Chan said she had been turned away from the Lok Fu Post Office because she didn't have a smartphone.

"It's disruptive. I don't understand why they have to do this. I just want to send some mail. It's unfair to those of us who don't have the app."

There is a big market for second-hand phones

It is evident there is a lot of mistrust of the government and why it is so anxious for residents to use the app.

If that wasn't enough, pro-establishment politicians, in a bid to show their patriotism, have suggested the government enforce using the app in other places too. Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun believes diners of B-type restaurants (four to a table and open until 10pm) will be forced to use the app by mid-November. 

And the University of Hong Kong's health expert Dr Ho Pak-leung, expects supermarkets and shopping malls will adopt the Leave Home Safe app as well. Currently the QR code is at the entrances but no one scans it.

If that wasn't enough, pro-Beijing newspaper Wen Wei Po's editorial said the government should proactively stop people from buying a spare phone specifically for the Leave Home Safe app as a passive tactic against the authorities.

But that only fueled the market for second-hand or cheap smartphones today. People flocked to second-hand electronic stores in places like Mongkok and Sham Shui Po to snap up phones that cost HK$800 (US$102). Most of the buyers were elderly people, according to salesmen.

Tien suggests using app in type B restaurants

"I installed [the app] for the elderly people if they didn't know how to... Some people really don't know how to use a smartphone, just like the customer I served just now. She has never used a smartphone," a seller surnamed Chan said.

This exact scenario was played out back in February when the government pushed residents to use the Leave Home Safe app. Lots of people rushed out to buy cheap smartphones just to use the app. And now it's happening again as it is becoming mandatory in so many places.

They are all buying a second phone for the same reason -- distrust of the government and a belief that the authorities will use the app to scan people's phones to extract personal data.

It's amusing how far each side will go -- the residents versus the government -- in trying to be one step ahead.

But for sure the government will keep pressing people to scan the app wherever they go, again in a bid to make Beijing happy. Because our fearless leader has one goal -- to open the border -- and she will do whatever it takes to get there.

Replenishing HK's War Chest During Covid

Carrie Lam modeling the Cu+ Mask that never took off in popularity...

It's hard to believe it's already September and no end in sight for the pandemic. Hong Kong's third wave seems to be under control, though the number of new cases continues to rise and fall. There were 12 today, though seven were imported.

During the past eight months, the government has doled out a lot of money, and luckily the city had saved a war chest full -- over a trillion Hong Kong dollars, though it is fast being depleted after giving every resident HK$10,000, wage subsidies of HK$9,000 per employee if employers took part in a scheme promising not to lay off staff, handing out money to every sector pleading for handouts, from tourism and restaurants, to gyms, education, transport, and beauty parlours to name a few.

Taxpayer money was used to buy full-page ads in newspapers

Oh and remember the government made and sent out Cu+ masks to every resident who applied for it too? It also sent out surgical masks, but they turned out to be faulty... and all those front page ads in many newspapers about the universal testing scheme...

Now lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun is calling on the government to dole out more money again, proposing that every resident be given another HK$10,000 to help them another few months, and help refill the war chest by imposing more taxes, such as on capital gains, luxury and dividends.

"I say this is the best time now to really start this discussion about introducing new taxes into our current very narrow structure, Tien said.

"Simply because we have depleted our reserve by almost half in the last six months, and God knows how much more the government needs to dole out before everything returns to normal."

Tien calling for the government to find new revenue streams

It's interesting Tien is calling for this, as the government has not budged on this issue, as from time immemorial it has depended on taxes from land sales for the vast majority of its revenue.

But he advises the authorities "not to pray that our land sales will come back".

Tien is right. Not only is the property market very soft, prices have dropped and so the amount of money the government is expecting to pull in from stamp duties will be much lower.

One wonders if the government will take Tien's advice and finally tax the rich further, but in the meantime the authorities are hitting up ordinary folk for money in the guise of fines.

Last week my hairdresser told me of her friends being fined by the police for not wearing masks outside, when they were just in the alley having a smoke. Talk about an expensive smoke, not just for your health but your wallet too.

Police out in force, giving out fines for not social distancing

The police have also fined people at protests for not social distancing, from HK$2,000 to up to HK$25,000, and many traffic wardens are being more diligent about giving out parking tickets.

This nickel-and-diming people is more of an opportunity for the police to flex their authority or perhaps they have a quota of fines they have to give out each month.

But these fines are a drop in the ocean compared to the zillions of dollars given out by the government.

Most people have had salary cuts, or been furloughed, so making them pay fines is not very productive.

It's time the government find other revenue generators -- much like the rest of us trying to survive.

Unappealing Masks for the Masses

The masks are comfortable, but they are hardly stylish for Hong Kong

On May 6 the online registration opened for the CuMask+ that is free of charge from the government. It claimed they were worth HK$40 each to make, but then there was a whole fiasco about not disclosing the companies involved in producing them, and then it was finally revealed after an uproar.

Meanwhile, going online to order the masks was surprisingly a very easy process, and then the other day I received a notice in the mail to pick up the mask at the post office. I went today -- and even brought reading material in case there was a massive line -- but there were only two people ahead of me in a dedicated line to pick up the masks.

They are packaged in a simple ziplock bag complete with directions in Chinese and English on how to use them.

3,951 people ahead of me, but soon after registered in minutes

First, to wear them, make sure the stripes are facing outward and that the curved edge is upward. The mask can be washed once a day with soap and water, but no wringing it dry, nor use an iron. Don't use bleach or detergent either!

Sounds like this mask is going to get dirty very fast just by using soap and water...

The instructions say the mask meets the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F2100 Level 1 standard in terms of particle filtration efficiency (PFE), bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE), but will it still be just as effective 60 washes later?

But perhaps most importantly the aesthetics of this mask is terrible.

The beige and striped material makes it look like... granny underpants.

One colleague wore it the other day and swears by it for comfort over surgical masks.

But pro-Beijing lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun thinks it's useless. He went on a local talk show to demonstrate how quickly the mask fell down his nose as he talked, and it fogged up his glasses...

Michael Tien says government masks useless pic.twitter.com/NSLjMRA5oA

— Alan Leong 梁家傑 (@AlanKahKitLeong) May 14, 2020

 

When you go outside on the street, practically no one is wearing the CuMask+... I only spotted one person working in a shop wearing it.

Some 2.7 million people ordered the masks, but I have only seen two people wearing them... kind of shows how much support Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's administration has from the people!

And if the government can distribute these masks in less than two weeks, how about the HK$10,000 handout? Shops and restaurants could all use some business now to stay alive...

Compensating Her Misery

Today Carrie Lam sidelined the question of whether she would take a pay cut

A few days ago we found out that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor got a pay rise of HK$120,000 (US$15,480) to HK$5.2 million annually. Calls from all political stripes for her to consider the Hongkongers who have lost their jobs or been furloughed, and business owners whose enterprises are in dire straits because of the coronavirus as well as months of anti-government protests, but she ignored their pleas.

Even Liberal Party honorary chairman Michael Tien Pei-chun, who owns the fashion label G2000 wrote a letter to Lam, saying he was "shocked and dismayed" that she still found it conscionable to increase her salary at this time.

Michael Tien wrote a letter to Lam urging her to cut her pay

He goes on to say: "Compared to senior officials of other governments, Hong Kong leaders' pay has always been extremely generous. We believe the people of Hong Kong would consider an increase in salary for your team at this time to be most inappropriate. In fact, the community would be reasonable to expect your team to take a pay cut so as to demonstrate your togetherness with the community to wrestle with this crisis that is presently threatening all of us, as never before, physically, emotionally and financially."

The letter was also signed by Miriam Lau Kin-yee, Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee, and Felix Chung Kwok-pan.

However, when asked again today by reporters about taking a pay cut, Lam preferred to focus on something else.

"My first priority right now is to finalize as early as possible the package of relief measures under the second round of anti-epidemic funding," she said.

Lam's campaign slogan back in 2017... times have changed

Lam also pointed out (as we did the other day) that she and other politically appointed officials had donated one month's salary to the Community Chest of Hong Kong for charity purposes, adding she would consider similar ways in future "to demonstrate solidarity with the people of Hong Kong".

The Legislative Council is currently scrutinizing the budget that was unveiled in February, which will be voted on in early May.

The chief executive doesn't seem to care about anyone else -- for all the criticisms and heat she is getting from all sides, she believes she deserves this increased compensation.

How far she has veered from her campaign slogan of "We Connect".

Perhaps it should be "So Disconnected".

The Chorus against Extradition Bill Gets Louder

Carrie Lam says she's willing to take the political criticism for extradition bill

The protest against pushing through the extradition bill in Hong Kong is growing, with the legal sector weighing in and planning a silent protest march next Thursday, June 6.

This will be the fifth such march since Hong Kong's handover to China, and this bill puts the judiciary in a difficult position. Critics are concerned about unfair trials and lack of human rights protection in the mainland, but the government insists the city's courts would have the final say on granting the arrest and eventual transfer of any fugitive.

Dennis Kwok is organizing a silent march for judiciary June 6

Legal sector lawmaker Dennis Kwok, who is organizing the upcoming march, accuses the government of being "deeply shameful and dishonest" about misleading the public when it said the courts would be an effective gatekeeper.

"There is nothing the courts can do [to ensure] the defendants would receive a fair trial and due process once he or she is extradited to that jurisdiction," he said.

Another critic is former Bar Association chairman Edward Chan King-sang. He criticized the government's legislative effort for already undermining the city's reputation for rule of law and the principle of "one country, two systems".

"The government has created an impression in the outside world that the central government could directly intervene in the city's internal affairs," Chan said, adding there is widespread concern by business chambers and foreign diplomats.

He said the government was obliged to ensure the place requesting extradition could provide a comparable standard of justice, and should spell out the safeguards in the law.

Another critic is former Bar Association's chair Edward Chan

But it is well known China has an constitution that looks good on paper, but it doesn't follow it to the letter, the same could be said about its legal system.

Meanwhile in the Legislative Council, pro-establishment lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun, who does not support the extradition bill, says Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her administration are responsible for the controversy surrounding the bill.

"A solution was only proposed one year after the case [of the Hong Kong man murdering his girlfriend in Taiwan] had happened," Tien said. "It was bundled with a problem that has not be solved for the past 20 years."

He was referring to the lack of an extradition agreement between Hong Kong and the mainland since the city returned to Chinese rule. And his observation is correct.

Lawmaker Micheal Tien does not support the extradition bill

In the meantime, the Lam administration is trying to propose some amendments to the bill to make it more palatable, such as allowing local criminal suspects convicted in mainland courts to serve their prison sentences in Hong Kong, and raise the threshold for extradition to seven years instead of the current three. This would mean bribery and forgery would still be extraditable offenses under Hong Kong law, but offenses like assault causing bodily harm would not count.

With Lam having to pass this extradition bill whether we like it or not, it is better to have it watered down as much as possible for our sakes, but how much change Beijing will tolerate is hard to know since it has been wanting to do this for years.

The chief executive is trying to make it seem like a chore she has to complete and has said, "No matter how much political criticism I'm getting personally, I still think this is worth doing." 

How is this "worth doing"? Lam is choosing to treat this extradition bill as something to cross off her "to-do list". But this bill has profound implications for 7 million people...

Is the MTR Caring for Life's Journeys?

Can we trust the MTR is making our journey on the train safe?

Can the reputation of the MTR get any worse?

Actually yes.

It has now been revealed that not 25 bars, but 5,000 of them were cut short to make them look like they were screwed into couplers on the platform for the new Sha Tin to Central rail line. Five thousand bars means about 20 percent of the total amount. But who knows -- maybe the figure could grow higher.

Lawmaker and former railway chief Michael Tien Puk-sun revealed this today on a radio show, saying anonymous sources had given him this information and he believed it was pretty much true.

Tien says as many as 5,000 bars were cut short

"The latest news I've got made me feel very uncomfortable. Someone, whom I think is very reliable, said although Leighton Contractors (Asia) was requested to fix the problems, there is no evidence of how many issues they have solved in the end," Tien said, a former chairman of rail operator KCRC before it merged with the MTR Corp in 2007.

"Recently I heard as many as 20 percent of the steel bars... were cut short."

Tien continued to say: "There may not be any problem if we conducted stress tests today, but I am worried that issues will emerge in five to 10 years, and then service on the whole railway will have to stop."

To fix the problem, he said, at least five walls at the station would have to be partially demolished for thorough inspections. If a large number of steel bars were found to be defective, more work would be required to strengthen the structure.

How many other stations are affected by these shortened bars?

That would basically make the already expensive project worth HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 billion) even more dear. But how can you skimp on safety? If the MTR wants to right a wrong, it really needs to tear apart those walls and possibly reinstall those bars to ensure it is done correctly.

How else can you assure the millions of passengers that depend on the service everyday?

While a spokesman for the MTR Corp did not confirm the numbers Tien gave, he said a report was submitted to the government to confirm that Leighton had completed the project according to the contract and relevant legal requirements.

The report has various information obtained from the contractors and the MTR Corp would leave it to the government-appointed commission of inquiry to follow up on the matter, the spokesman said.

This seems like a tacit way of not admitting fault...

Can we really trust the MTR with all of its lines now? With the revelation on Friday that pillars supporting the viaducts at the Yuen Long station on the West Rail Line had started to show signs of sinking since 2012 but that it was not endangering the public.

How come we are learning about this now?

The MTR's tag line "Caring for life's journeys" is ringing hollow these days. It really doesn't seem to care about what is going on with its construction or maintenance of its lines.

The commission of inquiry should shed some light on this serious issue and hopefully people will be forced to testify. We the taxpayers and public who use the MTR everyday deserve to know the truth.

MTR Cutting Corners, Losing Credibility

Construction at one of the stations along the Central-Sha Tin link

An ambitious transportation project for the MTR is the Sha Tin to Central link. It promised to get commuters between the two destinations within 30 minutes. When the project was announced, housing prices in Sha Tin immediately went up.

However, it has now been revealed the MTR hasn't been watching its contractor, Leighton Contractors (Asia) carefully because the builder hasn't been following the plans property and then shoddily fixing them, making everyone wary of even wanting to use this transport link when it's finished.

Who will trust the safety of this line?

It's not a cheap infrastructure project at HK$97 billion, and yet it seems like corners were cut. Leaked photographs showed workers cutting steel bars so that it looked like they were screwed correctly into platform couplers.

It was reported last month there were five instances between August and December 2015 where more than 25 steel bars were cut short. They were unable to screw them in properly because of shoddy construction work and also some areas were filled with concrete making it impossible to screw in the steel bars properly.

A sub-contractor, Fang Sheung refused to cut the steel bars so Leighton apparently hired workers to do this job.

Lawmaker and rail expert Michael Tien Puk-sun called on the government to dismantle the five concrete panels on the platform and check the steel bars, even though the MTR claimed the problem had already been fixed.

"I suspect the platform is still riddled with faulty steel bars. The best way is to remove a portion of the concrete at the platform for sample inspection. If some steel bars are still found to be faulty, I demand the government remove the remaining 27 panels and conduct checks on the remaining steel bars," he said.

He added that under law the MTR must conduct checks on 20 percent of the couplers, or 5,200 in this project.

"If the MTR really did inspect all 5,200 couplers, its staff needed to sign papers to certify it. It needs to deliver proof that it fulfilled its job in its report," he said.

To Kwa Wan station seems to be unsafe with its wall

The report was not handed in on time last Friday and instead this past Tuesday, and the government even defended the MTR, saying it was because Monday was a public holiday.

Excuse me? This is the lamest excuse on something so serious that it affects millions of passengers' safety everyday. Surely one would want to make sure there was nothing wrong with the steel bars.

And then it was found there was a problem with a wall at the To Kwa Wan station. A wall on the platform station was found to have its reinforcement bars removed and "shaved thin". Apparently this was done because when it was being constructed, workers deviated from the original design.

While the MTR admitted the wall had deviated from the design, the company claimed there were no "safety risks".

For now construction has stopped at the convention centre station in Wan Chai which is being excavated. Tien believes there was more shoddy work there, which is why work has been suspended.

It's shocking that the MTR is not closely watching its contractor doing work -- it's just like any renovation job -- you need to monitor workers carefully to see if they're doing the job to your specifications.

In this case the contractors are not, and they even tried to cover it up. This is not a door that was installed the wrong way or the wrong paint was used on the walls. This is about serious errors that could affect the safety of millions of passengers everyday.

Surely that's enough to warrant stopping the project and seeing what's going on?

But also the MTR is not looking out for our best interests -- the MTR is government owned so we taxpayers have a stake -- and instead it doesn't seem to care about safety at all.

We understand the desire to rush the project along, but this is about safety.

Now no one wants to take this train at all. They have lost faith in the project and the MTR. However we don't have any other viable means of transport to compete with the MTR so we're stuck with it, but that doesn't give it an excuse to have contractors that are doing shoddy work.

The pride of Hong Kong is fast becoming the shame of the city. No one is doing any reputation management of the MTR, or if they are, they are doing a crap job at it. It makes you wonder if the other MTR lines are safe...

Bathroom Relief

Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun barely fits into this bathroom in Tuen Mun

It must have been a shock for legislators to have a first-hand look at what really tiny bathrooms are like.

For example, New People's Party Michael Tien Puk-sun has lived a privileged life and also co-founded the G2000 clothing chain before he went into public service.

But yesterday he got a chance to inspect some flats in a Tuen Mun public housing estate where the bathrooms are, as residents describe them, "inhumanely small".

How small is "insanely small"? The space is so tight one can barely turn around in it without his or her body parts hitting something. Residents have to shower above the toilet and that's also where the sink is too.

There's a picture of Tien and his shoulders practically fill the width of the bathroom walls and he's barely able to raise his right arm without bumping into the wall.

He looked at the flats with fellow lawmaker Wong Kwok-hing and now these bathrooms at Po Tin Estate will be enlarged by 30 percent for a bit more elbow room. The renovation will cost up to HK$80 million and take three weeks per flat.

"After the improvement works, they will be able to accommodate two people," Wong said.

Chan Han-sum is 81 years old and has lived in the estate for nine years. She finds it a drag when she bathes and washes her hair. "I've hurt my head and elbows many times before when I turned around or picked up something in the bathroom," Chan said. She is now looking forward to her bathroom becoming bigger now.

One may wonder why the bathrooms were built so tiny in the first place, but the estate was originally a temporary accommodation for homeless people not eligible for permanent public housing. The 8,736 flats range between 88 to 305 square feet. Then many of the flats were turned into public rental housing in 2004.

Nevertheless, we have to wonder why even homeless people are subjected to such tiny spaces -- or are they supposed to be so grateful to have a roof over their heads that bumping their arms and heads in tiny bathrooms should be a given?

Wong urges the Housing Department to learn from this experience. "Although interim housing estates are intended to provide only temporary accommodation, I hope the department can be more people-oriented and avoid inhumane treatment of residents."

In the end we are all human beings and a bit more space would give people dignity and in turn self-esteem and happiness. We know that space is at a premium in Hong Kong, but it's not like the city isn't rich.

Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah is trying to scare us by projecting that Hong Kong's reserves will run out in 20 years because of the rising numbers of elderly the city would have to take care of by then.

What about being more concerned about today's problems?