I REFER to your report ''Patten and the counsel of despair'' (Sunday Morning Post, March 14) in which Mr Chris Patten expresses his surprise at Mr Allen Lee Peng-fei's alteration of his political position. I find it amazing it has taken almost seven monthsfor Mr Patten to discover the reputed constancy of our ex-senior Legco member. Through well-publicised discussions, we are becoming increasingly familiar with the ideological principles behind groups such as the United Democrats, Meeting Point and the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hongkong. Yet the same cannot be said of the Co-operative Resources Centre because its members have yet to articulate any concrete political principle, save the ambivalent manifesto vowing its ''desire to promote the interests of Hongkong people''. But this statement remains empty unless it yields a widely acceptable definition of ''the interests of Hongkong people''. The CRC has not convinced us it knows what these interests are. Even if we are to generously credit them with having grasped the vital interests of Hongkong, it remains a mystery how its political double-dealing would ever work towards the enhancement ofsuch interests. One recent scenario illustrates my point: on Sunday evening's Newsline, after Mr Lee manoeuvred to avoid answering a question concerning his beliefs, he was reminded there was a difference between wishful thinking and having a belief. A political group that fails to define its beliefs has no identity; it is spineless. EDWIN W. B. CHOY Kowloon
