Opposition Greets Carrie Lam With Protest Signs

The controversial changes made to the CSSA elderly welfare payment system continued to cast a shadow in the Legislative Council as the Chief Executive arrived for her monthly question and answer session on Wednesday.

Like during Carrie Lam's appearance at Legco last month, some pan-democratic lawmakers lined up along the passage to the chamber and raised signs as she arrived.

They also chanted slogans against the government's move to raise the eligibility age for elderly CSSA payments from 60 years to 65.

The opposition lawmakers accused Lam of bullying the elderly, and said the government should take the blame for poverty in Hong Kong.

Earlier, about a dozen elderly people under the banner of Association for Elders' Welfare also protested outside Legco against the changes made in CSSA rules.

Asked to scrap the controversial change inside the chamber, Lam again stood firm, telling legislators it's part of a wider population policy that "received widespread public support". She had previously defended the policy as being needed to encourage elderly people to work, citing herself as an example of an active 61-year-old who is still working.

But the protesters said people aged 60 aren't always physically fit and many end up being forced to take up menial jobs like subcontracted cleaning jobs to survive.

They criticised the government for slashing elderly welfare and support, saying the officials are setting a bad example by showing their disrespect for the elderly.

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