Should ParknShop have stuck to its 'no plastic bags' campaign? I have been visiting Hong Kong from South Africa and read with interest the articles and response to ParknShop's plastic bag campaign. In South Africa, we have been paying for plastic bags for almost five years now and, after initial resistance, people have keenly embraced the policy of paying for bags. Even in a country with many poor people, everybody is keen to do their bit for the environment. The results are amazing, as the amount of plastic bag litter has dropped significantly. We pay about 25 HK cents for our plastic bags or buy cloth bags offered by shops. It has even led to job creation as people in townships make bags to sell. It is much prettier to take a flower or animal print bag along with you to the shops. I hope that when I visit next year, there will be significantly less plastic in Hong Kong. Nicci Moffat, Cape Town, South Africa I think that ParknShop should have stuck with its 'no plastic bags' campaign, because I think that in the long term, it would have been workable. It certainly worked for me. Once the campaign was launched, I decided to bring my own bag when I went shopping. That is because I would have felt embarrassed if a member of staff had asked me if I wanted to buy a bag. The other reason is that I realise that I also need to be more environmentally friendly and should not waste any plastic bags. Although the campaign came in for criticism, the company should have stuck to it, recognising the long-term benefits it would bring. People need to be given time to change their habits and attitudes. I also think that other supermarket chains should start this kind of campaign and so raise public awareness. Jamie Chi, Kwun Tong It is a shame the supermarket giant ParknShop so quickly abandoned its environmentally-friendly initiative that a lot of customers supported, just because there were a few dissenting voices. Policies, especially green ones, take time for people to accept and discover the long-term benefits they bring. Perseverance should be the key in the process, and the advocates should understand that it is impossible to obtain 100 per cent support from the public. Even if the supermarket might have lost a small percentage of customers, ParknShop managers should have realised that support for green policies is growing and the 'no plastic bags' campaign actually boosted the company's image. I am disappointed by the decision by ParknShop to abandon its 'no plastic bags' campaign and now doubt its sincerity in introducing the policy in the first place. To resolve the problems pointed out by critics, the simplest thing would have been to have clear cash boxes next to the cashier, where customers could have deposited the 20 cents asked in the campaign. ParknShop could then have signed a contract with a green group that had a good reputation in Hong Kong and given the money to that group. I believe that corporations do have the wherewithal to go green. Daphne Wong, Tsuen Wan Will you be upgrading to receive digital TV signals? I would like to upgrade so I can receive digital TV signals. This is because I enjoy watching television and it will improve the quality of the programmes that are on offer. In order to get digital TV we will have to buy a set-top box or get a high-definition set. I do not think that will be a problem for families on higher incomes, but I think it will be beyond the means of families on low incomes. I think one solution would be for firms selling electrical appliances to offer a part exchange, so that for a small sum of money, people on low incomes could exchange their old appliance for a new one that gets digital television. The old sets could then be recycled by these companies. This would mean that the sets would not just be thrown away. Therefore, this scheme would be effective in two ways - it would help poor people and be environmentally friendly. Sandy Cheung, Sau Mau Ping Optimistic retailers are hoping that a lot of Hong Kong people will be willing to try out the new digital service. I think many people will be willing to buy high-definition television sets, but I think they will be mostly wealthy families. I think ordinary families on low incomes will not be able to purchase the equipment that is needed to get digital reception. I do not know if I will upgrade my television, although it does interest me. I would like to see the makers of these digital sets offer some sort of promotion to get people interested. I hope such a promotion will be introduced in the near future. Tiffany Chan, Lam Tin Should local mothers be given priority for maternity services? The influx of mainland mothers to give birth in Hong Kong is rising fast, but it is unnecessary to offer priority to either locals or mainland mothers. From an economic point of view, the people who are willing to pay should be entitled to the maternity services that are available. Thus, pregnant mothers with the ability to pay for a ward in a private hospital deserve to get the bed that is available, regardless of their nationality. Also, everyone is born to be equal according to human rights laws. If we offer local mothers a priority for maternity services at private hospitals, it will discriminate against mainland mothers, who will no longer be entitled to enjoy the service. However, local mothers would be deprived of the right of giving birth at private hospitals if mainland mothers were given priority. Therefore, no one should be given priority in order to avoid the violation of equality. However, I appreciate that if health-care resources in Hong Kong are also available to non-locals, this can put pressure on local resources and increase the workload of doctors and nurses. Therefore, a new and effective booking system and a fee adjustment must be introduced to alleviate the growing flood of mainland mothers into private hospitals. Anna Choi, Sau Mau Ping
