Defending Hong Kong Community Care Units: Addressing Inflated Numbers
Hong Kong’s Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Alice Mak, has recently come under scrutiny for her comments defending the district-level community care teams in the city. The controversy arose after a report suggested that some teams were inflating their numbers by recruiting event participants to pose as volunteers for group photos.
Mak emphasized that residents were eager to support the work of these care teams, which were established in 2022 to assist authorities in district-level operations. However, questions have been raised about the transparency of their operations, particularly regarding financial and performance reports.
Challenges in Accessing Information
A recent 12-minute documentary produced by journalism students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) shed light on the difficulties in obtaining these reports. The students faced rejection when requesting access to finance and performance reports from the Southern and Tsuen Wan district offices.
Tsuen Wan District Officer Billy Au’s response to the students’ inquiries highlighted the lack of transparency surrounding the care teams’ operations. Despite requests for disclosure, the district offices maintained that certain documents were not open to the public.
Defending Non-Disclosure
Mak defended the decision to withhold information, stating that the reports would be released after the care teams completed their two-year service period. She denied allegations that teams were artificially boosting their numbers by enlisting event participants as volunteers, asserting that residents genuinely supported the care teams’ efforts.
Call for Transparency
The CUHK student report has sparked a broader discussion on the transparency of care teams’ operations. Clarence Leung, the undersecretary for Home and Youth Affairs, criticized some reports for making sweeping generalizations about the teams’ work. However, veteran journalist Sum Wan-wah, who supervised the CUHK student report, defended the students’ efforts, emphasizing the importance of press freedom in scrutinizing public services.
As the debate continues, it remains crucial for the government and relevant authorities to uphold transparency and accountability in the operations of community care units. Residents and stakeholders alike are eager for clear and comprehensive information on the performance and impact of these essential services. In a city grappling with ongoing challenges, transparency and trust are fundamental pillars that must be upheld to ensure the well-being of Hong Kong’s communities.
