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SCMP Reporter

Q Who, if anyone, should be blamed for the handling of Harbour Fest?

I think the blame should be placed on InvestHK head Mike Rowse and AmCham chairman James Thompson, who demonstrated their lack of professional skills in handling the event.

Mr Rowse should have sought more information from the American Chamber of Commerce  before handing over such a big project. But Mr Thompson holds the biggest responsibility because he did not do his job properly and caused the government to lose a lot of money.

AmCham did not have enough communication with the artists either, and this caused problems.

Patrick Wong Pak-kiu, Tsuen Wan

Clearly, the Economic Relaunch Working Group is to blame for approving the concept, and InvestHK for signing the cheque for Harbour Fest. Both did so in great haste, without due process and without any experience in these matters.

James Thompson and his team of enthusiasts had no track record, and were (un)lucky to have their ambitious proposal approved without going through the common sense test of a competitive tender.

Having Moses Cheng and Brian Stevenson conduct a thorough review will certainly identify the rights and wrongs of the process, procedures and administration. They will need help, though, from independent-minded industry experts to identify the commercial, technical, musical, promotional and marketing issues.

To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, Mr Cheng and Mr Stevenson face known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns.

Harbour Fest's biggest problem was the lack of expertise among decision-makers and the executive team.

The first task for Mr Cheng and Mr Stevenson is to address this lack of expertise  if their report is to lead to a successful music event calendar for Hong Kong next year  and beyond.

Paul Zimmerman, Mid-Levels

Q Should school closures be delayed until their pupils have completed Primary Six?

It is understandable that the closure of anything - be it a shop, a company or a school - will bring short-term unhappiness. But people cannot be so short-sighted; actions should be taken to benefit all parties in the long run. I strongly support the closure of such schools.

Since fewer than 20 people are enrolled in some of these schools, it is not feasible to continue their operation. Administrative costs are too high.  The government is already running  a deficit and resources are being cut even in tertiary institutions. Why then  should these schools stay?

Students  at village schools are deprived of a good education. With such a small student population, it is also unlikely that they can develop healthy social relationships.

However, I think the government should allow both the schools and the students to have more time to adjust to such changes. School closures should be delayed for one year. This would allow Primary Five students to advance to Primary Six and graduate in the same school.

Primary Five and Six are critical years in a child's primary education. Any hindrance would affect their secondary school allocations, which would be disastrous.

Lily Lo, Tsuen Wan

If the school closures are delayed until the pupils complete Primary Six, it will cost the government a lot. Therefore, I think it should not be delayed.

Education is very important. Every year, the government spends a lot of money providing free education to each student.

The expenditure takes out a large proportion of the government's revenue. In recent years, there has been a deficit and the reserves will soon run out.

The school closures will help decrease the deficit.

The birth rate in Hong Kong is very low, leading to a surplus of school places. The resources used on education are wasted.

The schools that do not have enough students should be grouped together to use resources in the most efficient way.

The study environment can also be improved if the government closes some under-enrolled schools, and students can  make more friends, helping them to develop social and communication skills.

The school closures should not be delayed. Students will benefit if they can move to a new study environment as soon as possible.

Chan Kong, Tsuen Wan

Q Should the same disciplinary proceedings apply to all police ranks?

The rationale behind disciplinary hearings is to find out who should take the blame for a breach of the general orders.

The police force should make every effort to eliminate all possible obstacles to the integrity of the hearings.

The basic function of all ranks, high or low, is to maintain stability.

Their duties are the same, regardless of their posts or salaries.

No exceptions should be made in the event of a violation of the general orders. If there is difference in the disciplinary mechanism, morale drops.

It is ironic that the disciplinary forces have chosen to adopt separate systems for different ranks, rather than a unique one.

Vincent Lau Yun-chee, Tsuen Wan

Q Should trees on the marine police site be cut down?

Once more we see vision-lacking, chainsaw-wielding developers taking over a major historic site and  focusing only on a short-term profit.

The government should turn the old marine police headquarters into a maritime museum and highlight the intriguing  history of the area.

However, the biggest concern is what it  may be planning for the police HQ in Central.

Few people would disagree that Hong Kong needs more arts and culture - why not turn part of the Central police station into a year-round fringe festival.

We could invite artists from around China and the region to perform, and charge reasonable ticket prices.

Why not use part of the complex as an alternative theatre showing old film classics made in China?

Hong Kong needs many different and changing attractions for visitors and one main attraction for mainland visitors must be Hong Kong's British colonial history, so let's use this building wisely.

Stephen Anderson, Mid-Levels

It is illogical and irresponsible for people to think that cutting down trees on the marine police site is a proper action.

There is no denying that we need more land for development as the economy grows. However, there are no eloquent reasons for chopping down trees just because we want to modernise an area.

As a matter of fact, these trees are Hong Kong's valuable possession.

They don't  just help beautify the area and filter  the polluted air, they also act as historical remains that symbolise Hong Kong's past.

Should the development plan be carried out, a series of bad effects will follow - and not just for us but to future generations as well.

It is obvious that keeping the old trees can do more good than harm.

Therefore, I strongly argue that the Environmental Protection Department think of other measures in developing the area without causing such a disaster to the environment.

Jeffrey Yu, Tuen Mun

Q Should taxpayers foot the entire bill for the Disney site cleanup?

It has been two years since the discovery of cancer-causing dioxin underneath the former Cheoy Lee Shipyard, resulting in a $440 million decontamination cost for taxpayers.

Yet, the government still fails to undertake litigation against Cheoy Lee Shipyard to claim back the cost.

The whole fiasco represents a classic case of ignoring environmental risks for the sake of economic benefits by fast-tracking mega projects.

In early 2000, green groups and legislators warned the government of the contamination problem at the site and Friends of the Earth lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman.

All warnings and complaints fell on deaf ears as the  government machinery was mobilised to support the Disney project - a perceived panacea for the economic revival of Hong Kong.

To pay a heavy polluter $1.5 billion to vacate the area, followed by a $440 million bill for the public to clean up its cancer-causing dioxin is a gross violation of the polluter-pays principle.

A land contamination law should be in place which clearly defines who should be held liable for land contamination.

In Britain,  a person who 'causes or knowingly permits' such contamination is strictly liable. Officials are empowered to inspect sites and carry out on-site investigations.

Such a law would protect Hong Kong from future environmental and health risks as there are still more than 1,700 industrial establishments with potential for land contamination, such as petrol stations, mechanics' and car-dismantling workshops.

Henry Ho, Environmental Affairs Manager, Friends of the Earth



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