Should Hong Kong people contribute to disaster relief funds in China? In the past, many local citizens responded generously to calls for donations to assist victims of floods or earthquakes on the mainland, but I believe these calls should in future be ignored.
Why? The answer is simple. We are only throwing good money away when the mainland uses foreign revenues to buy expensive and threatening weaponry.
Merely refer to the article headlined 'Israeli radar 'boosts PLA defence' ' (South China Morning Post, November 8) which states that China has paid US$50 million (HK$387 million) for a Russian aircraft to be equipped with Israeli airborne command electronics at a cost of US$250 million.
This astronomical figure far exceeds any possible gift we can give to Chinese sufferers and demonstrates quite dramatically that the military bosses in the mainland are totally oblivious to the needs of their poor.
Instead of using our hard-won donations to help victims of disasters, the funds can be easily diverted to wasteful and dangerous weapons purchases which can only bring suffering and impoverishment.
Some 'patriots' will justify any purchase of arms by the PLA, forgetting that the greatest enemy of the Chinese people throughout history has been the Chinese soldier himself.
The true Chinese patriot is one who opposes the ruthless and heedless expansion of military power in Chinese society.