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Letters

High cost of living causes low birth rate
Hong Kong's government encouraged people not to have too many children in the 1970s, but in the past few decades - as officials have grown increasingly concerned about the low birth rate - it has tried to persuade families to grow.
Today the youth population has shrunk so much that the government expects a quarter of the city's population will be 65 or over by 2030.
The burden or caring for all these additional old people will fall on the shoulders - and taxes - of fewer working people.
I feel the government should act by offering financial incentives to encourage couples to start having more babies.
Many people believe economic pressures are contributing most to the low birth rate. House prices and rents are already sky-high in Hong Kong, so having larger families will mean couples having to buy even bigger homes - plus all the additional costs of having to raise extra children.
To avoid these greater financial burdens, they choose not to have big families.
Yet tax breaks for young couples with babies - with incentives rising with each additional child - will certainly ease the problem of the city's ageing population.
Another way to encourage bigger families is to solve the problem of the high cost of housing. If people are able to more easily afford a larger house then they will more readily consider having bigger families.
The government needs to focus on halting the low-birth rate as a priority - right now.
Linus Wong, Fanling
 
Housing needs must outweigh sentimentality
The debate over Hong Kong's shortage of suitable sites for development, including easing the chronic need for additional public housing, rages on.
Some people favour preserving the old cultural areas of the city, while others believe we should make better use of degraded or under-used areas of the city by building on them.
The fact that there are few potential sites for development in Hong Kong is nothing new; the government has been trying hard to address this problem.
Among the many different solutions, I believe demolishing old buildings to provide land for new developments is the best idea. Building on existing sites minimises the harm to the environment caused by reclamation work, or construction in countryside areas.
There are arguments saying the government should not demolish old buildings because it will mean losing important parts of our cultural heritage.
I agree that some historic buildings with outstanding merit are worth preserving, such as the Grade 1-listed Lui Seng Chun, in Lai Chi Kok Road, Mong Kok - a typical 1930s example of Hong Kong's tong lau (or shophouse) architecture.
It makes perfect sense to preserve such remarkable buildings, instead of pulling them down. But we can't keep every old building because of a desire for preserving our past. Sometimes we worry too much about losing older areas, rather than allowing new buildings.
It seems wrong to be focusing on saving old parts of the city when we don't have enough land to provide essential housing for our residents. Surely, constructing much-needed homes for our population should be our top priority?
Reclamation as a solution has many drawbacks, including harming the environment and marine life, including Hong Kong's iconic pink dolphin.
Without doubt, this solution does greater harm to the environment than the effects on our cultural heritage caused by demolishing old buildings to make way for new housing.
Sustainable development involves finding the correct balance between conservation and progress. So, it's best that we don't get too sentimental when considering such issues.
Shirley Sham Wing-yin, Kowloon Tong
 
Good must beat fearful lust for absolute power
I refer to the report ("China eyes global satellite coverage", March 30). Such an endeavour may lead to numerous benefits for the human race.
However, it may make us wonder if such initiatives are taken up by various governments and/or private enterprises out of fear of each other or extreme ambition for greater global power.
The gulf between the ideal of humanitarianism and lust for absolute power is growing and we can see the consequences of this widening gap.
Scientists can help humanity so much, by finding answers to the mysteries of the universe. But when science is used to intimidate the weak, who should be held responsible?
Our primary concern should be to develop programmes that can nurture and sustain trust in each other, and get rid of fear.
Schools and colleges should be the first to initiate such programmes; they should be supported by large corporations.
The moral conflict between good and evil will always be there. However, if we believe that the fundamental value of "Trust in each other" is right, then we must start working towards that now - and then good can triumph.
K. P. Daswani, Mid-Levels
 
Teachers fail liberal studies marking test
The swirls of the liberal studies (LS) debate are continuing.
There are strong voices calling for its cancellation - with teachers' subjective marking the biggest outcry surrounding the subject.
I wish to make one thing clear: the points listed in the marking scheme are definitely not the only acceptable answers: rather, they are just some brief ideas and directions following which, convincing arguments can be formulated.
So long as students produce logical answers, backed with facts and evidence, they can gain points. It means teachers should accept other convincing and logical alternatives.
Together with the existing "double-marking" system, the grading of LS scripts should be objective enough, and the score a reflection of students' ability to logically present their ideas.
The reported cases of subjective marking are not necessarily flaws in the testing system itself: they may stem simply from teacher training instead.
In Hong Kong, one can easily become an LS teacher - after completing the postgraduate teaching diploma programme or relevant master degrees in liberal studies offered by local universities (for new teachers), or attending retraining workshops run by the Education Bureau (for existing teachers).
After finishing the coursework and examinations, graduates apply to be an LS teacher. Yet no standardised benchmark test exists, like the Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers. We need one.
Ryan Kam, Sham Shui Po
 
Tougher laws needed to fight animal abuse
The government is not doing enough to prevent cases of animal abuse.
Serious incidents that end up in court do raise public awareness and put animal abuse issues in the spotlight. However, the government does not seem to do introduce any new initiatives to stop the problems happening again.
I understand the government is busy doing other work and dealing with animal abuse problems is not its top priority.
Yet there is a need for additional legislation in response to the serious cases of abuse that go on, including tougher punishments for those people convicted of animal abuse.
There also needs to be a more efficient system of administration and division of work in the department responsible for dealing with such abuse cases.
Cindy Yuen Wing-sze, Kwun Tong


Letters to the Editor, April 6, 2014

The Lui Seng Chun building was worth saving. Photo: Sam Tsang

China mulls global satellite surveillance after flight 370 riddle

Opinion

Hong Kong's government encouraged people not to have too many children in the 1970s, but in the past few decades - as officials have grown increasingly concerned about the low birth rate - it has tried to persuade families to grow.
