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SCMP Reporter

Playing the blame game

I read with  interest the two articles  'After the voting ... broken promises'  and 'Seize the day' (both April 8), and was much impressed by the highly contrasting comments on the chief executive election.

While it remains to be seen whether  Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen  will deliver his promises on universal suffrage and the like, I feel really sorry about  the great divide between those fighting for the democratic cause.

Albert Cheng King-hon  pointed out that  candidate Alan Leong Kah-kit's  much lower popularity rating illustrated serious mistakes in his campaign strategy. It was unfair, he said, for some pan-democrats to blame Election Committee members who failed to vote for Mr Leong after nominating him.

By saying this, Mr Cheng has  betrayed his own party as well as himself. He was  among those  who promoted  this 'poor' challenger. Does he mean to blame himself for his naivety?  Or is this a crafty political  ploy to  pave the way for a new political career - given the dark future facing the democratic camp?

Peter Wei, Kwun Tong

Anson Chan must face facts

Anson Chan Fang On-sang's recent displays  of support for universal suffrage in Hong Kong is not at all based on the Basic Law. If Mrs Chan is a pro-democrat,  then why  did she do nothing before the handover  to China?

Second, she knows well that the National People's Congress has  absolute power over our political future. Hong Kong  is managed  well under the Basic Law and the leadership of Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen.

Mrs Chan did not show management and leadership while she worked for the former colonial government nor under the administration of former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa.

Mrs Chan must remind herself  that Hong Kong is part of China.  She must be honest with herself, to the Hong Kong people and to the people of China.

Jason Chan, San Francisco

City U needs excellence

In 'HK should take more non-local students' (April 6),  Chang Hsin-kang,  the outgoing  president of City University, says  universities should enrol many more outside students.

This would lead to benefits, he says, including  academic freedom, the promotion of Hong Kong as a regional hub and the free flow of information.

It is interesting that he never mentioned the possible attraction of high academic standing, since his university is not very distinguished in that area, even within Hong Kong - let alone internationally.

So who would be attracted to attend a lower-ranking university in Hong Kong? The answer, of course, is students from the mainland.  They are likely to be more academically distinguished than many of their Hong Kong counterparts.

However, having one in every five students come from the mainland  would do nothing to make Hong Kong more international. Rather,  it would push  us  further towards being just another middle-sized Chinese city. If he really wants his university  to become more international, then the answer is to raise the all-round standards of City University to attract students based on academic excellence.

Sadly, City U is far from offering anywhere near that international level of excellence.

Rob Leung, Wan Chai

Putonghua not full answer

In answer to Justin Ng's letter 'Ignoring Putonghua leaves HK with a big communication gap' (April 7) regarding the lack of Putonghua fluency in Hong Kong, the best students go abroad to further their education.

Most go to English-speaking countries, so it's a given that fluency in English is their priority.

As for Mr Ng's contention that Putonghua promotes a harmonious society, please note that there are any number of vicious riots on the mainland (because of unpaid wages, confiscation of land,  etc.) that involve fluent Putonghua speakers. These alone suggest that fluency in any language does not imply  harmonious feelings.

A. Liang, Santa Clara, US

James Tien and elitism

I read with interest Jake van der Kamp's Monitor column (April 5) about Liberal Party leader James Tien Pei-chun and elitism. Mr Tien is a humble man and Van der Kamp might have misunderstood him as wanting to compete with the elite.

Instead of competing with elite students to get into Hong Kong University or Harvard, he enrolled in what Van der Kamp calls a 'ho hum' university.

He is also a shrewd competitor, who knows that if one wants to appear tall in a photo all you have to do is have it taken  with shorter people. Just look at all the political posters of him around town.

Feng Chi-shun, Ho Man Tin

The big players are more equal

Jake van der Kamp is absolutely right in his Monitor column (April 2)  when he says that the government-controlled stock exchange favours the Animal Farm principle. All are equal, but some are more equal than others.

The recent cycle of mainland-sponsored IPOs has served as a perpetual river of sure-shot wealth flowing through our stock exchange for the benefit of the Hong Kong people. Most of this river of money  is a gift to  the tycoons. The majority of the balance is taken up by banks and rich institutional investors. The leftovers are then fed to small investors to scavenge for, with their meagre savings and tight schedules.

Small investors rarely receive their shares or their refunds in time to reinvest  their money into the next IPO on the market. We are not surprised that a few resourceful investors had to bend the rules  to increase their chance of getting shares,  as they felt seriously handicapped in an  investment game loaded with discrimination.

Lal Daswani, Tsim Sha Tsui

Show courage, students

Many Hong Kong  students don't want foreign students as schoolmates because they fear  it will reduce their opportunities to gain access to university places and top jobs.

The president of City University,  Chang Hsin-kang ('HK should take more non-local students' April 6), asks: 'Are they [local young people] devoting their energy to enriching their own knowledge and broadening their horizons or [do they] only have trivial matters in Hong Kong in mind?'  Local teenagers have lost interest in politics, news and society, being  more interested in entertainment and sports. University places should be reserved for those with a good learning attitude,   who would treasure the experience.

It is important for students to broaden their horizons, to  be outspoken but not aggressive, self-confident but not arrogant, and be at least brave enough to put up their hands in lectures.

Aldrin Yim, Sai Kung

Cheap imitation

How fascinating to see that some Hong Kong Christians have decided to imitate  an old Filipino religious tradition: 'The agony'(April 7), or the Good Friday crucifixion. Also  in Muslim Indonesia,  a  Catholic group has  staged its  own event of atonement for past sins.

Having also invented 'people power' back in 1986 - which was later copied by the Ukrainians and Georgians, to name a few - we Pinoys missed our chance to take out a patent on these rites. If we had,  prospective performers would have to apply to us before staging their own spectacles.

R. Lopez, Wan Chai



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Letters