As mentioned in my May 7th post, it was reported that a 73 year-old man was convicted for using a false identity card to obtain work in Hong Kong. The infrastructure that has been set up by the Hong Kong government has been inadequate at best, requiring the elderly population, whom were involved in building Asia’s world city, are forced to work after the retirement age in order to live in subsistence.
In today’s South China Morning Post, the elderly man has given up his appeal in an attempt to save his wife from “the stressful criminal procedures and the unwanted glare of the media affecting his wife.” As previously mentioned, I do not question the court proceedings and the manner in which the case was handled, by the law, but it is unfortunate that the case occurred in the first place.
However, what is ridiculous about the manner in which the 73 year old-man was convicted is two-fold. Firstly, he was convicted on seven counts, including “obtaining pecuniary advantages by deception and possession of false ID cards from 2008 to 2013.” Secondly, in light of being on bail for a year, the magistrate maintains that his sentencing of four months was lenient. It seems the magistrate is ignorant to the idea that the one year period the 73 year-old spend stressing over the judge’s decision should have been enough punishment in itself.
Furthermore, it seems that after his sentence ends on June 22nd, the 73 year-old man may continue to look for work having just left prison for what he was jailed for. Unfortunately, any hope of becoming a security guard is near zero, given his now criminal record. So leaves the question, is this a systemic issue that the government is unable to take care of its retired citizens in an adequate and respectful manner? Or is it down to a social aspect where the elderly do not realize that in the last period of their lives they may not be required to work in order to live in subsistence?
If it is the latter and they choose to work, this would be rather stoic in nature. But it would only seem just if they chose to be stoic, not forced into working their entire lives.
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