I am a very long-term resident of Hong Kong and a frequent visitor to the area covered by Route 3, when I am on my way to play golf at Fanling. In recent years, I have used Route 3 regularly and am amazed at how little traffic is on this road. The Government therefore owes the public an explanation why it is wasting $22 billion on a highway that is not needed by insisting on building Route 10 despite objections from the public, the news media and from the majority of Hong Kong's elected representatives on the Legislative Council. With such an attitude from the Government no wonder Hong Kong is facing a deficit of $60.8 billion and the spectre of eventually losing all its $369 billion fiscal reserves. This must be the first ill that our Chief Executive should examine now that he has been elected to serve a second term. Tung Chee-hwa must know that it is not acceptable to the Hong Kong community for the administration to waste what is equivalent to one year's salaries tax and at the same time talk lightly about increasing taxation. Hong Kong people want the Government to accept responsibility for managing public funds more prudently. There have simply been too many scandals in recent times when public funds were misused. In a true democracy a government represents public interests and elected and paid public officials such as our legislative councillors have a duty to uphold and defend such interests against unpopular and unnecessary government expenditure. Hong Kong appears to have neither. Route 10 represents a ridiculous situation with the Government going against the wishes of the public. Our elected Legco representatives allow this to happen by not turning up at crucial meetings. I refer specifically to last month's Public Works Subcommittee when a vote was taken on Route 10 funding and 11 legislators failed to attend. No doubt Hong Kong people would like to know if this no-show will be repeated at the next important meeting on Friday of the Legislative Council Finance Committee when the Government will apply for funding for the design of Route 10 to be endorsed. J. D. MACKIE Shouson Hill
