I read with disbelief your correspondent's views on how domestic servants in Hong Kong should be treated when it comes to their presence, even on invitation, in private clubs. (letter headlined 'Domestic servants ban the norm in Hong Kong clubs', South China Morning Post, July 2).
Let's face it, when a club specifically bans the presence of 'domestic servants', it already has a target group in mind, for otherwise, how does it intend to enforce such ban? I am quite sure it is not going to approach a white or Chinese male and ask him if he is a domestic servant. Likewise, I don't believe it will approach a white or Chinese female (even if she is attending to children) and ask if she is a domestic servant before letting her into the club. The club will most likely use a much more convenient yardstick, that is, if she is a Filipino female, ask her. To me, this sounds close to racial discrimination.
Don't get me wrong, private clubs should have the right to admit only their members and, if it is the wish of their membership, invited guests to their facilities. But they should achieve that by simply saying 'Members and Invited Guests Only', not by banning a particular group of our society. If the writer's suggestion that 'banning of domestic servants in clubs in Hong Kong is the norm' is indeed accurate, then it must be changed, if necessary, by introduction of the appropriate legislation.
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED
