We refer to the letter from Frank Gilbert ('Buses must be required by law to change fuel', September 17) regarding the feasibility of powering the Kowloon Motor Bus fleet by natural gas or hybrid diesel-electric. As a socially responsible bus operator, KMB has continuously taken the initiative to provide a sustainable bus service by, for example, introducing ultra-low sulphur diesel and retrofitting all its older buses with catalytic converters in advance of government legislation. All newly purchased buses operate to stringent Euro III standards in line with the company's commitment to comply with or even exceed internationally recognised environmental standards. KMB keeps in close contact with manufacturers and suppliers about the development of environmentally friendly measures, including fuel-saving and emission-reduction devices, as well as alternative fuels and power sources. Regarding the application of natural gas in KMB's buses, a number of factors render this problematic at present. Safety concerns exist by virtue of the fuel's readiness to mix with air to form an explosive mixture. The consequences of such leakages would be especially serious in enclosed areas, such as tunnels and bus depots. This is a particular concern in Hong Kong with its uniquely high urban density and location of bus depots near residential areas. In addition, the high global warming potential of the exhaust of natural gas engines has prompted many vehicle manufacturers to retard or even terminate research and development work on natural gas vehicles, with clear repercussions for operators in terms of required technical support. Another operational constraint to a double-decker bus operating on natural gas is that it would require a fuel tank four times the size of a diesel bus to cover the same range. This would greatly reduce the passenger-carrying capacity and have an adverse effect on transport efficiency. Still, as a result of the technological advances made by KMB and the manufacturers, the emission performance of Euro III engines now is comparable to that of a natural gas engine. Regarding diesel-electric hybrid, the technology for buses is still in its infancy, and is so far still limited to a small number of single-deck prototypes. Issues such as mechanical reliability, battery life, fuel economy, drivability and passenger capacity would need to be improved before diesel-electric could be seriously considered for a mass-transit bus fleet providing reliable services. SUSANNE HO, head of corporate communications, Kowloon Motor Bus Long Hair's chance It is with regret that I note that new member of Legco, 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung, has, for the moment at least, decided to play the court jester. Politics has always had its fair share of mavericks. They rarely last long, most opting to 'showboat' on the platform on which they were elected. Long Hair's mandate is minimal from an overall Hong Kong perspective and his policies are unclear outside his obvious positions. But he has a real opportunity to build his career by representing his constituents' interests. He needs to resist the temptation to take his 'street' style into the chamber. And he should articulate clear policies. 'Long Hair' may feel that Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa is a 'wolf in sheep's clothing', but in politics it was ever thus. Long Hair needs to become the 'sheep in wolf's clothing'. NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED Coming clash over vote Serious disputes will erupt in the new Legislative Council if the government does not introduce full direct elections for the council and chief executive. Two of the new faces in Legco are aggressive types: 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung and Albert Cheng King-hon. On the other hand, a rising power is the Liberal Party. It will be the linchpin when the government has new bills to be passed. The turnout rate - the highest in three elections - shows that more citizens have an enhanced consciousness about economics and politics. So voices asking for direct elections will increase continuously. Starting from this election, youngsters will become more involved in community affairs. This is good news for the future of Hong Kong. POON YUN-LAM, North Point Bilingual elections key Sam Cole suggests in his letter that I learn Chinese (September 18). I would like him to know that I am a fluent Putonghua speaker, and read and write it (both by hand and at a word processer) at a fairly high level. I studied Chinese in Taiwan full time for two years, then studied daily for four years with a private teacher. Unfortunately, many of the slogans on the election forms use local Cantonese terms that I am not familiar with, as well as slang and campaign jargon. So my comprehension was not 100 per cent, although I understood much of it. But on an election brochure, much is not enough. Missing even one key word can obscure meaning. This is why important documents should be printed in both languages. There are many in Hong Kong who have not studied Chinese. Some adults work more than 60 hours per week, and do not have time to see their families, much less learn a language. And as a linguist and teacher of English as a second language, I know it is a biological fact that the older people are, the more difficult it is for them to learn languages, whether Chinese or English. It is wrong to suggest, as you have, that anyone who does not have 100 per cent comprehension in Chinese is lazy and does not deserve to vote. By not putting campaign literature in English, the government is basically saying that it does not respect voters from Hong Kong's second major language background, or it does not want them to vote. It amounts to discrimination. Instead of looking for reasons to exclude people, Mr Cole should note that the basic idea of a democratic election is to enfranchise the largest number of people possible. This is the electoral commission's job. But it appears that the government's aim runs contrary to this ideal. ROSEANNE GREENFIELD, Tai Tam Sex bias and democracy Margaret Chu calls for the 'Sisters of Hong Kong' to unite (September 18), but most of her article is a diatribe against the Democratic Party. She is correct when she describes its failed election tactics, but quite wrong if she thinks the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong or the Liberal Party, supposed victors, will do anything to remedy the evils of sex discrimination. These two parties are popularly described as the 'royalists', meaning they must maintain the status quo prescribed by the bigshots in Beijing, who bitterly opposed our orderly transition to universal franchise. Anyone who knows statistics realises that women, if they are properly enfranchised and vote as a bloc, can determine election results. So it's not the Democratic Party or Martin Lee Chu-ming's fault if Hong Kong or Chinese society is still controlled by males. If Ms Chu wants Hong Kong to give more power to women, she should start in Beijing where the men in power promised us 'a high degree of autonomy'. By the way, how many women are in power in Beijing and the Communist Party? J. GARNER, Kowloon War language It is time to stop using diplomatic language when reporting the actions of the American military as 'quelling insurgency' or 'making Iraq safe for democracy'. There is one word for such actions in Iraq: murder. Pure and simple. Such as when helicopter pilots opened fire on a crowd of unarmed civilians, killing 16, including many children and a journalist. What is the difference between exploding a car bomb outside a police station and mowing down civilians from an attack helicopter? JACK MUIR, Causeway Bay
