I do not understand the responses of John Shannon and another reader (March 28) to the opinion piece by Margaret Chu, senior research officer of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute ('A Chinese chief par excellence,' March 26). Ms Chu's main point, that Tung Chee-hwa was an outstanding chief executive of Hong Kong, was completely overlooked by these two readers, who focused on the so-called racism of the article. Ms Chu used the phrase 'white man' only twice, and it was quite clearly intended for hyperbolic effect. It would be foolish to take this literally, that she meant it as a racist slur. Mr Shannon totally misrepresents Ms Chu's calm and rational assessment of Mr Tung and Chris Patten, with inflammatory words such as 'deify' and 'demonise' to describe her analysis of the two men respectively. As a Chinese, I share with Ms Chu a distaste for 'adversarial showbiz politics' as practised by many western democracies, and join her in praising Mr Tung for his harmonious vision and style. It is in such a spirit that I disagree with Ms Chu on two points. First, she refers to Hong Kong people as politically inexperienced. Although this might have been true in the past, today it is not the case. One sees in the South China Morning Post, how sophisticated the viewpoints of taxi drivers have become. And the high turnout in recent elections and marches demonstrates the social and political maturity of the people. Second, Ms Chu rightly points out that 'economic historians will one day assess the structural damage and the income inequality that Patten left behind'. She refers to Mr Tung's leadership as 'democratic capitalism that is consistent with Chinese political culture'. While I feel that this is a good description of the current Hong Kong approach, it is clear that such capitalism can only further increase the income inequality inherited from the Patten era. I hope Ms Chu will join me in seeking to establish an alternative system of government. For a model, we do not have to look far, since the mainland has been successfully practising socialism with Chinese characteristics for more than 25 years. FREDERICK KWONG, Mei Foo Beautify harbourside Visitors to Hong Kong are all charmed by its natural setting: the harbour, the peaks, the islands. And almost all find the urban areas vital and exciting. But the harbour surroundings disappoint mightily. Imagine a visitor asking to 'walk around the harbour'. In most places, it is physically impossible to do so. Where it is possible, drab seawalls are all one sees. Where are the harbourside cafe precincts? The stylish sitting out areas, shaded by trees, looking across to fine views? Besides the stark promenade to the east of Tsim Sha Tsui, and the rundown areas around the ferry terminals, there is nothing on offer. So the concept of quality open space and green environs by the harbour, as presented in the Swire Pacific exhibition at Pacific Place, is to be welcomed. It promotes a holistic approach to planning the harbour environs; multi-faceted cultural attractions in many locations; and, above all, green environments around the key areas. When I visited the exhibition, judging by the faces of the people there, old and young, most share similar thoughts. One must hope that the government responds to this vision, and to other such plans by groups supporting a rebirth of the harbour's surroundings. And that grandiose, overdeveloped and conceptually flawed plans are put aside. In a city that (we are told by the government) should be 'sustainable', where is a great glass roof leading us? Could anything less sustainable be imagined? The volumes of glass, the energy needed to control the atmosphere, the cleaning costs and resources endlessly required (Hong Kong's air pollution leaves a blackish skin over any vaguely horizontal surface in weeks, a situation that cannot rapidly be changed). It is also noteworthy that up and coming cities elsewhere in China are putting effort, thought and imagination into greening their cityscapes, especially around waterways. Many are far surpassing their richer cousin, Hong Kong. And it is surely telling that Singapore, not Hong Kong, has provided the inspiration and model for them. EDWARD STOKES, Hong Kong Conservation Photography Foundation Lead amid HK history I echo Amit Singh's suggestion to 'Use Government House' (April 1). The century-and-a-half-old structure has been around almost as long as Hong Kong has and wears our collective history like vintage east-meets-west couture. The miscellany of Georgian balustrades, Chinese tile and Japanese tower are a testament to the times the territory has seen and what generations have endured, overcome and made the very best of. It seems fitting that chief executives should carry on creating history at the address where governors - good and otherwise - have lived, rather than mounting it for display as a dusty relic of an unenlightened past. GREGG SCHROEDER, Wan Chai Blind climbers The article 'Blind man prepares to make Everest history' (March 31) said that an Australian, Gerrard Gosens, was aiming to become the first blind man to reach the summit of Mount Everest. I hope he makes it, but he would not be the first. That record was claimed by blind American Erik Weihenmayer from Colorado, on May 26, 2001. PETER SHERWOOD, author, Everest: Legendary Victors and Vanquished Good corporate citizens We refer to the leader 'Good corporate citizens: the path to a better future (March 30) and clarify that the 'Election of ethical corporations in students' eyes' was organised by SEE Magazine, with support from Green Power, the Business Environment Council and students from various tertiary institutions including Shue Yan College and the University of Hong Kong. We agree that awareness of good corporate citizens, nowadays more commonly cited as corporate social responsibility (CSR), has been increasing in Hong Kong. We believe the concept and practice can be more deeply grown in corporations, and consumers can play a role in it. One interesting finding of our poll, which was correctly pointed out by our panel of guest speakers, was that there is still a lack of information and transparency in certain aspects of corporate performance. For instance, students, in their perception of Hang Seng Bank's environmentally friendly practices, rated it rather poor, although in reality this bank excels. This is why sustainability reporting, in addition to annual reports, is taking shape in Hong Kong. It will give the public a fuller picture of how a company performs, especially its responsibility to society. Another point of interest is that a few students said they could not choose any corporations with good CSR on the Hang Seng Index. They picked the SCMP Group, Standard Chartered Bank and Body Shop among their favourites. VERONICA LUK for SEE Magazine, Admiralty Curbing junk faxes I refer to the letter from Peter Forsythe ('Stop junk faxes,' April 1). There is currently no law prohibiting the sending of junk fax (unsolicited fax advertisements). However, the senders may be in breach of the service contract with their fax line suppliers. Mr Forsythe may contact his fixed-line service provider to include his number on its 'not-to-call' list. He may lodge a complaint with his service provider if he receives junk fax again. Fixed-line service providers can suspend services to a junk fax sender for 14 working days if two complaints have been received. The sender risks disconnection of all lines registered at a given address if three complaints are received. For more information, visit www.ofta.gov.hk/junkfax/main.html . We fully understand the inconvenience caused by the proliferation of unsolicited electronic messages. The government has decided to implement a basket of measures under a campaign entitled 'Steps' to tackle the problem on different fronts after a public consultation conducted last year. Among the measures, the government plans to introduce legislation to tackle the problem of unsolicited electronic messages. The government has an open mind on the exact form and content of the legislation, that is, whether junk fax is to be covered. A comprehensive public consultation will be conducted when the legislation has been drawn up. We will also discuss with fixed-line service providers the feasibility of reducing the time frame required to cut off junk fax senders' access to telecommunications services. K.S. WONG, assistant director, Office of the Telecommunications Authority
