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SCMP Reporter

Rule of law must prevail

While Richard Cullen is right to note the institutionalisation of an activist culture in the Hong Kong judiciary, he is wrong to allege political restraint where there has never been any 'When political change challenges our courts'  (April 14).

The Basic Law has endowed the judiciary with an unrestrained freedom that is found only in authoritarian regimes. While citizens of the European Union can appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, Hong Kong citizens have to accept the decisions  of the  Court of Final Appeal as final.

If the judiciary could dismiss a senior government lawyer's complaint as unreasonably as alleged in Michael Scott's 'Judicial failure needs inquiry' (April 14),  one may imagine the dire predicament of the ordinary citizen.

The judiciary must openly demonstrate to the public that what it administers is the rule of law and not the rule of judges.

Stephen Yu, Kowloon Tong

Democracy

and Singapore

In 'Payday in Singapore'  (April 13), Peter Kammerer argued that the Singaporean government 'is not like others as we know them', particularly in Hong Kong and the United States.

Indeed there are differences. Only Singapore and the United States have universal suffrage.  Singapore's People's Action Party  won the 2006 elections with 67 per cent of the popular vote, and has won 12 successive general elections since 1959.

How could any 'engineering of the democratic process' in Singapore have achieved this?

Darryl Lau, deputy

consul-general, Singapore

Spinal problem

With reference to the report  'Fears towers in Central will create canyon effect' (Sunday Morning Post, April 15), it is interesting to see our government  again throw  its collective hands  in the air and say there is nothing that can be done about the situation.  I doubt that is  true. How about acting in Hong Kong's long-term interests?

What appears to be lacking is will. Perhaps I may suggest a new word: spinelasticity, the lack of backbone to stand  up for a better Hong Kong in the face of  developers' demands.

Gareth Jones, Sheung Wan

Reason rules

our world

In 'Science a study of creation' (April 16), David  Eason uses the phrase 'irrational faith in ... '.  Faith can be neither irrational nor rational because these terms refer to reason, while faith is simply an act of believing in something, whether this something be science or religion. It has nothing to do with reason.

I do not have faith in either science or religion.  When I 'think', I use reason ... it is how we human beings 'think'. Both  Mr Eason and I, when arguing for our respective points of view, are using reason.

Science is an extension of how we think as functioning human beings. Science is essentially reason-based. It is a method based on inductive logic. Of course, it can never tell me whether God exists or not, but over the years it has come up with some pretty amazing facts. Within its limits it seems to work - we gain knowledge.

In most of our endeavours in life we are quite pleased with our ability to use our reason, but when it comes to religion, things change.

To adopt a religious world view is an act of faith - that simple act of choosing to believe in something. Once having made that jump to faith, reason makes its reappearance to argue for the particularities of that world view.

Mr Eason argues that religious wars are evidence of a spiritual realm. Simple deductive reasoning would quickly show that such an argument is simply unreasonable; it is logically flawed. Reason reigns - for better or worse.

Michael Tobin, Central

Science is

rational study

Can David  Eason  ('Science a study of  creation', April 16) prove that God exists? Until someone can, science will have to remain the study of the universe  through rational means. I do not believe there is no God, neither do I believe there is. I have seen no conclusive, scientific proof either way. The Bible does not  reveal 'the truth of God' to me.

The 'prevalence of spiritual factors behind war' should probably be studied through the sciences of psychology and animal behaviour. The fact that  extremists on both sides try to characterise some of the  most worrying conflicts as a battle between 'God and evil', even when those faiths share  founders, texts and tenets, should be of concern to the faithful. Especially when the underlying causes appear to be oil, power and greed.

Allan Dyer, Wong Chuk Hang

Keeping an

open mind

David  Eason is correct to assert that science must not claim unequivocally that God does not exist ('Science a study of creation', April 16). Real science proceeds with a healthy scepticism, treating the existence of God as a hypothesis to be tested by observation.

The evidence offered by Mr Eason is the Bible. This book  asserts that the world was created in six days and describes a God that is jealous, misogynistic, infanticidal, genocidal, capricious, intolerant and cruel.  It represents evidence that it is an invention, revealing the narrow observations and moral attitudes of its human authors. Science awaits better evidence with an open mind.

Julian Grudzien, Jordan

Olympic tickets

It is all very well for Hong Kong  to subsidise the staging of the 2008  Olympic equestrian and Paralympics here, via the Jockey Club. But it is surprising to note in 'HK must not lose out in Olympics tickets'  (April 16) that Hongkongers are to be allocated only a tiny proportion of the tickets to actually watch  events here.   We are paying for them, and  should have a better chance of seeing them.

Mary Pang, Kwai Chung

Telford Gardens

renovations

We would like to thank  Herbert Fong (Tough times at Telford Gardens', April 3) for his comments regarding renovations  at Telford Gardens. The MTR Corp regularly improves and upgrades its shopping centre to improve  services to shoppers and residents. The  upgrade of the cinema and supermarket is being undertaken with the same aim.

In early March, the Telford Gardens Management Office informed residents of the project, through the Telford Gardens Owners' Committee.  Details of the works  were posted at each residential block. Just before demolition of the  cinema started on  April 2, new notices were put up to inform residents of the works  up to the reopening date in July 2008.

Care has been taken to minimise disturbance,  with major construction  being restricted to  between  9am and 6pm. Measures  also have been implemented to minimise  noise and dust from the works.

The renovation of the supermarket will start in mid-May,  for a three-month period, and the Telford Gardens Management Office is working with the owners' committee to find ways to reduce inconvenience to residents.

We would like to assure Mr Fong that the MTR Corp  is committed to providing a comfortable and convenient living environment for Telford Gardens residents.

May Wong, MTR Corp



Letters