I refer to the letter from Christine Loh which appeared in the South China Morning Post, on March 4, in which she discusses the importance of English in an international city such as Hong Kong.
In her letter she argues that any latent anger felt towards the colonialists should not serve as an obstacle to the usage of their language - a language that has now become 'the lingua franca of the business and academic worlds'.
She writes that it is time to let any negative feelings towards the British and their colonial role pass.
In concluding the point Ms Loh makes on this subject, she makes reference to 'the past colonial yoke'.
If Ms Loh expects Hong Kong people to move towards 'an international city and multi-cultural society' accepting of its colonial heritage, then it is perhaps odd that she uses the image of the yoke to express this.
For thousands of years the yoke has been associated with defeat, humiliation and oppression. The sentiment of the majority of Hong Kong people towards past British rule is not the shame of humiliation, or the resentment of oppression.
