The proposed charge may appear to be the solution to the problem, but I do not think it would be a fair levy.

Everyone will have to pay the same flat rate and this will do little to deter people on high incomes. The average cost of HK$40 means nothing to them and it will not encourage them to generate less refuse.

It would also be of no consequence to organisations that are huge polluters.

However, it will be a financial burden for families on low incomes.

That amount would be the cost of a typical meal for them.

I am sure all of us want to see a reduction in the volume of solid waste that Hong Kong creates. Surely, those people who are the worst polluters should pay a higher levy.

Hong Kong is very much a money-minded society.

We need a scheme that gives people an economic inducement to cut back on the waste they produce.

I am also concerned that unless a better scheme is introduced, we will actually see an increase in cases of illegal dumping of solid waste in Hong Kong.

This is obviously a serious issue which must be addressed effectively.

I hope that the government can come up with a better policy to deal with the environmental problems being caused by the levels of waste presently generated in Hong Kong.

Lai Sin-yi, Sha Tin

Satisfactory share of vote for Leung

You describe chief executive-elect Leung Chun-ying as the 'weakest leader-in-waiting' with a record-low vote share of 58 per cent ('We have to meet challenges together', March 26). Comparisons with previous elections are futile, as in this election Leung was facing two opponents, each with his own powerful backing.

Surely, a share of the vote of more than 50 per cent is very credible in any three-way political setting.

In Britain, where there is a three-party political system, governments and prime ministers are almost always elected with less than 50 per cent of the popular vote.

In 1979, Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative Party were elected with 'only' a 44 per cent popular vote share. Thatcher went on to lead a strong government for more than 10 years.

Likewise, Tony Blair and his Labour Party won a 'landslide' election with a 43 per cent popular vote share in 1997.

Andrew Leung, Bristol, England

Misgivings about city's future

Following the victory of Leung Chun-ying in the chief executive election on Sunday, my Facebook page was full of reactions from other computer users.

Many of my friends had felt apprehensive, and now expressed discontent, over the 'small-circle' Election Committee procedure by which the new chief executive was chosen.

They said they were concerned about the future of Hong Kong and felt that it was unpredictable.

However, whether we like it or not, we have to accept that Mr Leung is going to take the top job and become our next chief executive.

Some people have expressed misgivings about how much support he got from the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong.

This would indicate indirect involvement by Beijing in the special administrative region's political structure.

It could be seen as a violation of the core value of 'one country, two systems' and the supposed guarantee from the leadership in Beijing of a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong.

Mr Leung has promised that he will defend these fundamental principles and that he will try to keep in touch with Hong Kong citizens.

He guarantees that our freedoms and rights will remain unchanged.

I really hope that he is being sincere and that he will keep the promises he has made during his five-year term and ensure that the position of the city is not compromised.

Fei Tung, Ma On Shan

Constitution still inspires people

Kevin Rafferty's premise that democracy requires alignment with present times, by positing 'sufficient and necessary conditions' for it to exist, misses the mark ('In government, democracy gives way to corrupted versions of itself', March 24).

While he rightly calls various institutions and their leaders into question, the quest for individual expression transcends time and generations.

Indeed, the United States Constitution's focus on insuring the liberties of the populace against excessive government is not a 225-year-old 'reference point', but rather, the point of ultimate relevance.

The genius of the constitution is the understanding that politicians possess varying ambitions and require restraint, and the judiciary the constitution created epitomises this.

Operating outside the conflicts of electoral politics, the Supreme Court preserves property rights and pursuits of the populace from the government's desire to extend its influence beyond what the constitution permits.

The dispute over health care before the Supreme Court is whether it is constitutional for the federal government to compel the populace to enter into a commercial contract under threat of penalty.

The distinction is regulation versus coercion of commerce.

This requires an interpretation of the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, which forms part of the Bill of Rights.

Let us never attempt to trammel the perspective of liberty with myopic views of what constitutes 'sufficient and necessary conditions' for democracy or allow journalists and intellectuals, as Rafferty proposes, to 'fill the space' between the governed and the governors.

I, like others in Hong Kong and around the world, draw inspiration from the legacy of the constitution enshrining the freedoms of expression and choice we enjoy today.

It is an evolving legacy enabling the aspirants of eastern Europe, many parts of Asia, and recently the Arab world, to determine their direction.

Chris Exline, chairman, Republicans Abroad Hong Kong

Minimum wage rate is enough

I refer to the report ('Poor benefit from minimum wage', March 23).

Statistics show that the median monthly wage increased following implementation of a minimum wage law.

Unions now want it raised from HK$28 to HK$33 an hour because of rising inflation. I would be opposed to such an increase. It could damage good employer-employee relationships.

If it were raised, some bosses might feel they had to find ways to make savings and so they would cut lunch hours and holidays.

Also, they might cut back on recruitment and try to make the staff they have more productive by bringing in more skilled workers.

This would make it more difficult for low-skilled people to find suitable employment.

Also, if there is a period during which there is a financial crisis, it will be more difficult for company owners to weather the storm if they have already had to increase minimum wage rates.

From the point of view of employers and employees this is not a good time to raise the rate.

The sum of HK$28 is sufficient at present for poor workers.

Derek Ho, Tsuen Wan

Ethical organ transplants are needed

I agree with Deputy Health Minister Huang Jiefu that the mainland's organ transplant system must be reformed ('Minister wants humane stance on organ cases', March 25).

There is an absence of ethical values in the health care system. The organ donor programme involves harvesting the organs of inmates who have been executed.

In many cases it appears no agreement was reached with the prisoner about the donation of organs.

There are also problems connected with illegal organ trading.

For these reasons, despite its economic growth China has been criticised for policies that are seen are barbaric.

There is an urgent need to reform the health care system.

Unfair and unethical medical practices must be halted straight away.

Traditional Chinese beliefs say the body should be buried or cremated intact.

However, despite the obstacles it will face, the central government must launch a voluntary organ donor system.

Beijing should not just measure progress by the economic advances that are made. It must recognise the need to have more ethical behaviour in society.

Eleanor Wong, Hung Hom