There is no excuse to suspend any effort helping the poor to improve their social position. It is a humiliating fact that Hong Kong has a high gini-co-efficient (income gap). History has vividly showed us that the leaders of countries with high income gaps have been forced to quit their political careers. A stable society will not last long if the poor cannot enjoy a decent level of prosperity.

IGNATIUS NG, Kwun Tong

Democracy bit by bit

It is easy to blame government incompetence for the painful experience that Hong Kong has undergone since the handover.

I am bewildered by the attitude of a large number of members of the Legislative Council. They are very keen to have a bigger share of power, but have not had the courage and decency to acknowledge their vital part in running government. They have an important influence on how the administration conducts its affairs and the community views social issues.

At a deeper level, since the handover Hong Kong people have been striving to find a true identity by reconciling our Chinese heritage with our western education. We realised for the first time that Hong Kong will become what we make of it. As we look around for true leadership, it has yet to dawn on us that there is no 'Lee Kuan Yew' in our midst. While Hong Kong people do not wish for that type of leadership, this is not to say that the political environment does not permit it.

It is vital that we recognise our limitations and appreciate our strengths. Recently I heard a very relevant comment by General Yeoman, the first pilot to break the sound barrier: 'You do with what you have and what you can'. Legco has a great responsibility not to miss the opportunity to move ahead on the constitutional reform that has been under discussion for a year. The democrats' position of 'all or none' is plainly irresponsible.

T. C. NG, North Point

In comparing marks. . .

As an educator, I was heartened to see Katherine Forestier report the findings of the Programme for International Student Assessment, or Pisa ('Learn from the Finnish system', February 25). She says that Hong Kong students ranked the lowest in 'self-esteem' among all participating countries.

Pisa reports that Hong Kong students along with those in Japan and Korea were weakest in their 'self-concepts' in mathematics. Pisa does not make any conclusions regarding 'self-esteem'.

In the Pisa 2003 study, student self-concepts were measured related only to mathematics, not to science, as will be the case in 2006, or reading literacy, as done in 2000.

'Self-concept' is a student's belief of how confident he or she is in mathematical ability, and 'self-efficacy' is the capacity to overcome difficult learning challenges. Students who believe in their abilities and efficacy, and who are not anxious about mathematics, are particularly likely to do well in it.

But when Pisa summarises student performance, it says 'some caution is needed when comparing these self-reported characteristics across countries. Analysis of responses shows that comparisons across cultures are sometimes difficult to make'. In 'Japan, for example, a quarter of students express a particularly high level of anxiety about mathematics, yet still manage to score above average in the assessment. On the other hand, students in Denmark show much lower levels of anxiety, yet the most anxious quarter among them score 124 points lower in mathematics than the quarter with least anxiety'. Interestingly, American students who reported the 'strongest self-concepts' in their mathematical ability were ranked between 24 and 25.

ANJALI A. HAZARI, head of the department of science, American International School

All victims of slaughter

In 'Holocaust questions' (March 5), Colin Campbell has again sought to reinterpret his letter of February 16 so that it is less irrational and offensive. I refer to the assertions and rhetorical questions which contain propositions that are inaccurate, cruel and deceitful to Jews, who suffered directly or indirectly under the Third Reich.

I am as sympathetic with all of the minorities who were targeted for slaughter and am not concerned about Prime Minister Ariel Sharon or other modern politicians who have their own, quite probably justified, agenda in respect of modern Jewry. In his letters, Mr Campbell has not sought to limit his florid assertions to Mr Sharon or his supporters as he now claims.

Jews do not and never have claimed as a class the sole right to sympathy from the diaspora. They are no more entitled to sympathy than other victims of Nazi terror. Equally they are no less entitled to it and this is why David Bodoff and I find Mr Campbell's letters offensive. I have not sought to answer his questions because I do not have any issue with these points.

KEITH ODERBERG, Central

Smoking ban: no case

In reply to Dr Homer Tso ('Legislators must commit to tough law on smoking', March 5), the real danger is in turning over rights of free choice to government on issues that can easily be controlled by the individual.

Legislatures should only protect the people from provable threats when there is no practical way for the populace to defend themselves. Clearly smoking does not measure up to this rule. There are many things that cause much greater harm to society than smoking: alcohol, fatty foods, refined sugars, cars and industrial waste. Dr Tso does not cry (yet) for their total ban, because he has found some social value in them.

Who can or should make the decision for everyone that smoking has absolutely no social value, and that it causes such a threat to society that government must intervene against the will of a significant number of its constituents? To protect people, the government can educate them on poor or dangerous choices without adding layers of bureaucracy and law, which can only limit playing fields, not level them. There is no reason for this proposed ban.

CHRISTOPHER GALLAGA,

Ma Wan

Death duty scam

Is this a good way to avoid payment of duties that may otherwise be due upon death? Transfer property to a trust for the benefit of your son. Do not include any power of revocation in the trust deed but secretly instruct the trustee that you retain the power to revoke. If you die before your son, the executors of your estate (not being aware of your secret instruction) claim that you had no interest in the property and thus no duty is payable. If your son is on his deathbed and you are still alive, then you revoke the trust before he dies and his executors claim that on his death he had no interest in the property and thus no duty is payable.

NAME, ADDRESS SUPPLIED