The Pulse：26th anniversary of June 4th, scandal at an elderly home and lack of long term elderly p

June 4th has rolled around again and with it the painful memories of what happened in and around Tiananmen Square on that date in 1989. Hong Kong’s immediate response to the savage crackdown, after seven weeks of pro-democracy protests, was immediate. An estimated half a million people took to the street to condemn it. 26 years on, the commemoration at Victoria Park still goes on. But, although they too remain horrified by the event, for some members of the younger generation the more nationalistic elements of the candlelight vigil, and the emphasis on nationwide democratic reform don’t sit easy.
On Wednesday, the government announced delays to a voucher subsidy scheme making it easier for elderly people to stay in privately-run residential homes. In last year’s policy address Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying asked the Elderly Commission to study a scheme to give up to 11,000 dollars worth of vouchers to eligible residents. It was expected to be launched in September. Now the commission wants more time to gather information. While we’re waiting, official figures suggest that seven out of every one hundred elderly people here live in care homes. Last week, disturbing evidence of mistreatment of residents at one such home came to light. And there’s undoubtedly a lot more we don’t see.