Anson Chan's entry creates high-stakes political drama It is exciting to hear that Anson Chan Fang On-sang is a candidate in the Legislative Council by-election. She will be one of the biggest political stars Hong Kong has ever seen. Assuming Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee will run against her, this will be a high-stakes political drama. At stake is the pace of progress towards universal suffrage, so we will see an increase in the number of eligible voters casting ballots. This will change Hong Kong's political ecology fundamentally, to the advantage of the pan-democratic camp. Historically, only about one-third of eligible voters actually vote, of which some 40 per cent are pro-Beijing and 60 per cent pro-democrat. So if the turnout rate increases by, say, 10 per cent, then next year's Legco election will dramatically change the political landscape. But, ironically, the objective of universal suffrage will be pushed back if Mrs Chan wins, because that will remind Beijing of former governor Chris Patten and his political reforms before the handover. Mr Patten's efforts sparked controversies with Beijing, and Mrs Chan was his right-hand woman. So, while it is good that Mrs Chan will champion the cause of democracy, our society's objective of universal suffrage will suffer. Guy Lam, Queensway Ocean Park shows Disneyland the way There has been competition between Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park since the American theme park opened. Ocean Park has created a good image for itself. Its business has improved more than ever since it acquired two baby pandas in July. And it will set up even more attractions to draw customers. By contrast, business at Disneyland is quite slow, since the theme park is too small. In order to improve business, Disneyland has provided a wide range of special offers. Ocean Park is also making a special offer - one that reflects its care for our community. It will offer free admission to people with disabilities starting from October 1 ('Ocean Park to raise ticket prices 10pc to fund expansion', September 9). As far as I know, Disneyland doesn't make any special offers to this type of customer. Anyone with a disability who wants to visit a theme park will definitely choose Ocean Park. The free admission comes with a half-price entrance fee for the person accompanying him or her, so the two can get in for a total of only HK$104. Two adult entrance fees to Disneyland cost HK$590 on the cheapest, non-peak days. If it wants to build a caring image, Disneyland should follow suit by offering free admission to those with a disability and half-price for the accompanying person. If Disneyland adopted Ocean Park's policy, I think this new arrangement would be great news for kids stuck in wheelchairs. They would be able to visit the two parks more often. Barry Kwok, Wong Tai Sin This city doesn't need a pricey new museum The controversial West Kowloon cultural district is expected to proceed in the near future. I am indifferent towards the injection of up to HK$25 billion into this white elephant, but the museum complex catches my attention. The government brags that there will be more than a million visitors a year for this so-called world-class museum, but this is an unreasonable - even preposterous - expectation. If you have ever been to a Hong Kong museum you will know what I mean: low attendance, inferior showpieces, a lack of interpretation... All these problems can be found at our museums. Frankly, the funds should be spent on improving the quality of the existing institutions, not on building yet another public-treasury-eater. Once officials stop deceiving themselves and others, the public will no longer be spellbound by this extravagant administration. And Hongkongers will see a more promising future. Timothy Oswald, Quarry Bay Landlord slams the door on Hardy's I refer to your story 'Hardy's ready for last encore' (September 9). I would like to make it perfectly clear that, after over 22 years, Hardy's is closing due to - and only because of - our landlord. Thanks to the many thousands of patrons who have made Hardy's the institution it has become since opening in 1985. And to our landlord ... how reasonable of you to demand a 50 per cent rent increase when inflation stands at approximately 2.5 per cent. I hope you can sleep at night: I've had to make all my staff redundant. Peter Spiby, manager, Hardy's An audible success for bus TV opponents I commend Catherine Ng ('Stop transport noise pollution', August 10) and everyone else who has voiced their grievances about bus TV over the years. While they have not succeeded in getting TV off the buses, their efforts have at least resulted in a decrease in the average volume of the broadcasts. I have noticed this on the bus routes I normally take. In a fairer world, all the bus company brass and their celebrity endorsers - most of whom have not boarded a bus in years - would be locked up in a double-decker and made to view their own creations at maximum volume for an entire day. What a mass audience in a captive environment that would be. Chohong Choi, Kwun Tong When landlords drop social responsibility Peter Sherwood echoed to the hilt my bad sentiments towards property developers ('Beer Bay - axed in the name of corporate profits?' September 2). It's no surprise that a developer, prodded by money-grabbing instincts, would take action on the pretext of providing a more balanced mix of shops to meet the needs of a wider community. To them, 'wider community' does not refer to residents. My own landlord, the MTR Corporation, has been re-engineering its oft-cited 'balanced mix' of shops in Telford Plaza. Demolishing the cinema complex there - causing an intolerable, deafening noise nuisance for nearby residents - is just the thin end of the wedge. Without informing Telford Gardens residents, MTR Corp has closed the post office, paving the way for another profitable business. To live up to the trendy lineup of outlets in Telford Plaza, MTR Corp has kicked out a decades-old, inexpensive fast-food eatery. In other words, I see eye to eye with Mr Sherwood's viewpoint. Our landlords' policies are aimed at boosting corporate profits at the expense of the residents' mutual trust and interests. They have discarded their corporate social responsibility. Herbert Fong, Kowloon Bay YouTube pointer for animal video contest I refer to the report 'Animal video contest' (September 9), about our invitation to children under 12 to film themselves or their favourite pets or animals as part of World Animal Day celebrations this month. We should point out that there are restrictions on children using YouTube. We have amended our website ( www.animalsasia.org ) to request that children entering our World Animal Day competition ask their parents or guardians to upload their video entries onto YouTube. Angela Leary, media manager, Animals Asia Foundation
