Michael Suen Ming-yeung may as well have poked a wasp's nest with a stick.
Earlier this month, Hong Kong's education secretary proposed scrapping the English Schools Foundation's HK$283 million annual subsidy.
The ESF's funding, Suen said, was a problem arising from an historical legacy, which needed to be resolved.
Ever since, the editorial page of the South China Morning Post has been abuzz with angry letters, either denouncing the subsidy as an undeserved handout for privileged foreigners, or defending the government's funding of the foundation's 15 English-speaking schools as essential if Hong Kong is to maintain its competitiveness as an international business centre.
But while our correspondents' views are obviously deeply held, they are sometimes clouded by emotion. So at the risk of incurring a few stings, it may be worth trying to take a more dispassionate look at the ESF and its subsidy.
Starting from first principles, almost everyone believes that the government should play a role in funding schools. Education is seen as a service that benefits society as a whole, so it is right that the public purse should bear at least some of the cost. Certainly, the Hong Kong government agrees. Last year, it spent 20 per cent of its entire budget on education.