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Pay rise only to lawmakers who earn it
Any public anger over a proposed pay rise for lawmakers is directed at those individuals who do not perform, do not serve society and seldom attend  Legislative Council sessions.  
Those chosen to represent the functional constituencies will only attend when they are asked to vote for the government or their own constituents. They are self-serving and do not consider the greater good of Hong Kong.  
Lawmakers like Emily Lau Wai-hing, Audrey Eu Yuet-mee, Albert Ho Chun-yan, Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, James To Kun-sun, Tanya Chan, Ronnie Tong Ka-wah and other elected members from the pan-democrat camp  should be given an increase  that is higher than what they are asking for. 
They are devoted and concerned about the public interest.  
But the salary rise means nothing to the lawmakers for functional constituencies. As Chim Pui-chung, representing the financial services sector, said, he could 'win or lose HK$10 million in a poker game'. 
Also, some lawmakers for functional constituencies receive substantial payments to lobby for large corporations. Their Legco salary is peanuts by comparison. I don't know why they even bother to take it. They should give it to the Community Chest. 
I also think the salaries that lawmakers receive should be based on their performance and attendance record. The former may be difficult to gauge, but in the latter case, it is easy to check when they were in the chamber.
There is genuine public anger over those lawmakers who clearly do not deserve to be paid either their salary or the additional allowances. 
I think Emily Lau, who heads a Legislative Council subcommittee on members' remuneration, will have her work cut out convincing us that functional constituency lawmakers deserve a pay rise. 
A. L. Nanik, Tsim Sha Tsui    
Watchdogs in Legco failing to do their job
I noted with surprise that our legislators want a salary increase.
What performance is this based on? The financial secretary often miscalculates Hong Kong's surpluses. The Urban Renewal Authority enables monstrous money-making commercial structures where living communities previously thrived.
The Environmental Protection Department gives a green light to  a massive incinerator in an area of natural beauty without due examination of alternative solutions.
At every turn, there is a lack of accountability in our government. To reward legislators with a salary increase, given the unhappy public sentiment,  would be offensive.
Blair Maynard, Lantau    
Present pay scale is so unfair
There has been a heated debate over proposals to give a pay rise to lawmakers. 
They earn more than HK$70,000 a month, a salary  that is paid by taxpayers. 
They represent the citizens of Hong Kong and help us get our views across to the government. 
However, it has to be asked if all lawmakers are fulfilling these public duties. 
The attendance records of some legislators are poor, especially those from the functional constituencies; therefore, I do not think all members should have their salaries doubled. 
The government should give consideration to a pay scale based on merit, so that the salary is linked to performance and attendance records. 
This would be the fairest system for those legislators who are  diligent in the execution of their duties. 
The present pay scale is not doing justice to those lawmakers who work hard and swim against the tide. But not everyone is doing satisfactory work. 
Annie Lo Yam-kwan, Kowloon City
End of an era, not of the world
I refer to the caption in the View Point picture ('Power to the papal', February 7), in which it was stated that a Mayan prophecy predicts that the world will end in December  this year.
That statement is false; at best, it is a misinterpretation of the Mayan codices.
The Mayans do not speak of the end of the world. 
Furthermore, they say the world evolves and transforms itself, while the sole thing that remains constant is the spirit, as it strides towards higher levels of  knowledge and understanding. 
Therefore, the mentioned prophecy is actually about the end of an era,  which will bring about important changes in the world, not only on the physical level but also in the consciousness of humankind. 
In reality, it could be argued that a lot of what happened around the world last year in terms of freedom, revolutions and social awareness has to do with this. 
The new era of knowledge to which they refer will begin this year, marked by the end  of this, the 13th cycle, according to their  cosmological interpretation. 
Marco Gomez, Wong Tai Sin
Subsidy for electricity not eco-friendly
I was disappointed by the provision in the budget for a HK$1,800 subsidy to each residential electricity account.  
Hong Kong faces severe pollution problems. 
The subsidy will encourage citizens to use more electricity, and this moves us further away from the goal of becoming a low-carbon city. 
Furthermore, middle-class residents can afford to pay their electricity bills, so the subsidy is wasted on them. 
The government should encourage such people and well-off  households to save energy and try to live greener lives so that Hong Kong can have a cleaner environment.
The subsidy should only be given to low-income families. 
The government must do more to get the message across that we must all seek to be more environmentally friendly. 
It should not just emphasise the importance of economic development.  
Jasmine Tai, Tai Kok Tsui
Don't cut off minority pupils  
It has been suggested that money from the Community Care Fund be used to help ethnic-minority pupils. 
Many of these pupils come from low-income families and cannot afford the huge fees  to sit the 'more advanced GCE' Chinese-language exams ('Ethnic-minority students decry huge exam fees', February 10).  
If these young people are unable to sit the exams, they could find it more difficult to get a good job. The Community Care Fund should be used to help them with the high fees.  
Given that they have to pay eight times more than Chinese pupils at present, they may feel discriminated against. 
In an exam-oriented city such as Hong Kong, these certificates are essential. They are a basic requirement for many jobs. 
If these young people cannot afford to sit the exams, then they  may lose their motivation to learn the language.
It would be wrong if this happened because they could not get subsidies from the fund.  
Ethnic-minority pupils should be allowed to pay the same level of fees for Chinese-language exams as pupils of Chinese background do.
We can only cultivate harmony by removing any suggestion of discrimination and enabling people from ethnic minorities to integrate fully into society.  
Michael Fong, Sha Tin
Group helps to improve English skills
I read, with interest, Philip Leung's letter ('Language skills have withered', February 10) and the special-report article by Wong Yat-hei ('A matter of speaking right', February 9). 
I completely agree with Mr Leung that 'language is like a water reservoir: that one must secure a constant input over a long period of time to draw out what is needed'.
I suggest that the 'desperate students' to whom Mr Leung refers  consider joining the English-Speaking Union in Hong Kong.
We are a non-profit, registered, educational charity that organises a variety of interactive programmes that focus on English-language skills. 
These programmes provide the kind of help to which both Mr Leung and Mr Wong refer.
The English-Speaking Union has branches in  more than 54 countries as well as in every state of the US. 
In Hong Kong, our website (www.esuhk.org) provides the latest information about our work. 
New members and their friends are always welcome.
Verner Bickley, English-Speaking Union



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