9th January 2025 – (Hong Kong) In the perpetual tug-of-war between justice and pragmatism, the issue of financially incentivising whistleblowers has emerged as a Gordian knot – one that challenges our fundamental conceptions of morality and the very fabric of the society we inhabit. As Hong Kong’s recent introduction of a reward scheme for reporting illegal occupancy of public housing thrusts this dilemma into the spotlight, it behoves us to navigate this ethical labyrinth with nuance and wisdom.

The Report Public Housing Abuse Award scheme will be implemented next Wednesday (15th). Successful informants can receive a reward of HK$3,000 and a certificate of appreciation,” said Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho on a RTHK program this morning (9th). She estimated that around 2,600 reports will be received annually, with about 1,300 having concrete evidence. Ho emphasised that it is the informants who come forward that help maintain good neighbourhood relations. “There are cases where a few mahjong tables are set up and people are smoking water pipes, which disrupts the whole living environment and damages relationships.”

She also revealed that over the past two and a half years, the government has issued removal notices to 7,000 public housing units through combating abuse or the demerit points system, equivalent to saving $7 billion. This is more efficient than building new public housing which takes years.

The rationale behind such initiatives is rooted in the exigencies of...

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