Excellent opportunity missed by father
I was stunned by D. Martin's scathing letter of complaint, headlined 'Unpleasant experience for passengers' (South China Morning Post, August 7).
Mr Martin asked the police and the Transport Department to put a stop to something he saw last month while waiting at the Kowloon Star Ferry taxi rank with his children. A man was attempting to get a small reward after opening the taxi door for passengers at the rank.
Did it never occur to Mr Martin that the man in question might be one of those jobless people who, without ample educational qualifications, simply could not find work, or who had no means of paying for basic necessities such as food?
Your correspondent should have appreciated the fact that the man, instead of begging impudently for money and doing nothing for it, at least made an effort to offer his services before expecting any reward. In my opinion, Mr Martin as a father of 'young children', missed an excellent opportunity to educate them on the spot about the stern reality of difficult situations in life. He could have helped them realise how lucky they were, as they could sit comfortably inside a taxi without having to struggle like those on the verge of starvation.
Given the current adverse economic conditions in Hong Kong, it is about time every one of us in Hong Kong came together to offer as much assistance as is possible to the needy.
MONIQUE DUTARD
Aberdeen
