In his policy address, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa stated: 'We are resolutely against collusion between business and the government'. Why then did the Transport Department not prevent KMB from forming RoadShow Holdings as a subsidiary to receive most of the profits gained from exploiting franchised bus users as a captive audience to sell to advertisers?
RoadShow promotes itself as a multimedia advertising platform that pushes advertisers' products and services to a captive audience of more than four million passengers a day.
The department claimed that bus television would 'act as a platform for (whatever that means) and fund the implementation of GPS'. It also suggested that bus TV would reduce the need to increase fares. To this day, four years on, a GPS-based navigation system has not been implemented on buses. And RoadShow shareholders, rather than bus passengers, continue to be the main beneficiaries of the revenue. Meanwhile government departments use RoadShow broadcasts to promote their services, presumably without charge.
The department has refused requests to reveal details of the discussions it had with KMB, claiming commercial confidentiality. Is this not an example of collusion - a secret agreement between business and government - that millions of franchised bus passengers deserve to know about?
JILL TAYLOR, Ap Lei Chau
Legco chaos: tax wasted
Legislators wasted $1 million of taxpayers' money when the Legco meeting was cancelled on Wednesday. The big issue is why the minute of silence needed to be observed in the Legco meeting despite the disapproval of the chamber's president?