Trust the people I refer to 'Capitalism and politics' (January 21). Once again Elsie Tu's anti-Americanism prevents her from recognising problems closer to home, in this case the iniquities of the Hong Kong system of 'representation'. It cannot be argued, and I do not think it ever is, that the American system always produces the perfect result or is totally free from influence by vested interests. But how much better it is than a system in which vested interests are given free seats in government and the Chinese Communist Party's chosen man in Hong Kong can personally decide who sits on district councils. Is Ms Tu really supporting a system in which an unelected group of elderly men in Beijing has decided that the people of Hong Kong will not be ready to choose their leader for another 30 years? The people of Hong Kong are a well-educated, intelligent, worldly-wise bunch who are perfectly capable of deciding who should lead their community. Is she content to lie down under this patronising and insulting arrogance? Ms Tu falls into the trap that many non-democrats fall into. They cannot bring themselves to trust the people to have the intelligence to make up their own minds. Why? Either because they think they know better or because they fear a result they do not desire. Ms Tu's support for the Hong Kong system of functional constituencies - saying she advocates 'a system in which everyone, capitalist and non-capitalist, is represented' - is meaningless unless she is saying the people should be free to choose whoever they want to represent them. Allowing pressure groups to have a guaranteed seat in government is not the same as making sure everyone is represented. As soon as you say we must have someone from this profession or that trade, you start to skew the system. Those in power then have an opportunity to influence the power groups who control the votes and thus influence who can or cannot represent the people. Democracy and freedom are like being pregnant - you either are or you are not. Hong Kong is not democratic and the powers that be have no intention of letting that happen in the foreseeable future. Those in power should note, though, that economic freedom eventually has to mean political freedom. People will not be content forever to just follow the deal, as has already been illustrated in Hong Kong. Those who seek to prop up the pseudo-democratic system would do well to remember the half million who marched on July 1. ROY PROUSE, Happy Valley
