I AM saddened by the inability of Miss Margaret Ng to comprehend the seriousness of the consequences of the prejudice officially practised upon the local population, by the Government, for more than 150 years, and to relegate proposals to rectify an obvious wrong to the category of prejudice (South China Morning Post, August 17).
Miss Ng sought to parade examples of individual expatriates' histories of good deeds, showing their selflessness and commitment to Hong Kong, and suggested the list was extensive.
There is no doubt that such people do exist.
However, it should not be forgotten that, at the same time many of these selfless individuals are practising altruism, they are enjoying the sweet fruits of racial prejudice against the local population.
If one was to go by numbers, there can be little doubt that the number of locals who selflessly devote themselves to public services of various kinds, in their capacity as public servants would far outnumber expatriates.
These locals lead modest lives, without the help and cushioning of overseas terms, and in their capacity as non-public servants and they do so without trying to achieve any personal gain.
