WHEN will the women of Hongkong begin objecting to their role as advertising come-ons and frivolous social butterflies and really start solving our serious social problems? Although we hear a lot about ''women's liberation'', most of the activity is aimed at moving up the corporate ladder and beating men at their own game; in other words, being more masculine than feminine. History reminds us that colonialised, dominated people actually admire their rulers and seek to emulate them once they achieve ''liberation''. So it's no surprise to see ''liberated'' Hongkong women aping men in their pursuit of pleasure, status and power, even to the point of dominating other women and preventing them from bettering their lives.

In many nations, this tendency is used by the ruling elite to enlist women in the armed forces, under the pretence of ''equality for women''. Most of the recruited women are naturally from the lower classes of society for whom any job is better than none. But in reality, any woman who joins a military force is a traitor to her sex. She has betrayed her feminine gift for giving life and nurture, for the masculine trait of inflicting death and violence on others. Our daily diet of world news shows us military men killing and raping, making women widows and their children orphans for the sake of ''victory'', ''ethnic purity'', ''glory'' and ''valour''. Even in peacetime, the existence of large numbers of armed men is a constant threat to the security of innocent civilians as we observe in Burma, China, Israel and South Africa.

Here in Hongkong, the large numbers of US and UK armed forces personnel have produced a massive prostitution industry, estimated at over 30,000 women, controlled by pimps and triads involved in all sorts of criminal activities. We can readily imagine thenumbers of AIDS cases spread by soldiers and sailors travelling between the sex capitals of Africa and Asia. Why have Hongkong women been so silent about these menaces? Why are they so reluctant to challenge male authority in these matters so vital to their own dignity and well-being? In addition to sexual abuse and exploitation, the military machine in Hongkong continues to control vast amounts of land and resources, thus depriving the hardworking people of Hongkong of space for schools, hospitals, housing clinics, parks and homes for the elderly. The current value of lands occupied by the superfluous garrison is estimated at over $75 billion, an enormous sum that should be made available to reduce taxation and help men, women and their families to cope with the soaring cost of living.