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Letters

Singapore is implementing solutions
Bernard Lee ("Singapore is a valid role model for HK", July 6) is right to stress that it is only sensible for a government to focus on implementing workable solutions for a country and its people, instead of being preoccupied with theories as the basis of policymaking.
Many Singaporeans use their Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings to pay off their housing loan.
This "investment" in a public flat yields an average return of S$150,000 to S$200,000 (HK$936,000 to HK$1.25 million) after five years if it has been purchased directly from the government.
Those with cash reserves to spare in their accounts may invest in gold as well as a list of approved stocks and bonds.
Yet Philip Bowring considers these assets as "low-yielding" investments ("Singapore's a poor role model", June 29).
He considers the five-year minimum occupation period on a Housing and Development Board flat before a sale can take place as making a nonsense of "real private ownership".
Surely no business mind would expect homeowners who already enjoy subsidised rates from the state to be granted the same privileges as those who pay market rates for their private condominiums?
By Bowring's estimation, Singapore has grown faster than Hong Kong in recent years largely because of cheap foreign labour.
Bizarrely, the Lion City's total factor productivity had also surged ahead of its rival, as had its average economic growth rate over the last 50 years long before these workers arrived in greater numbers to support the boom.
He calls them "economic serfs" because they cannot bring their families for residency.
Yet many still sign up for the far higher salaries than they could command at home, no different from the foreign maids in Hong Kong who have to leave their families behind for similar reasons.
Perhaps an "old Asia hand" like Bowring can share his thoughts on how these workers compare to the millions of colonial subjects who were forced into slavery by some of "democracy's" biggest proponents as recently as two centuries ago, or the many apprentices who work for "free" across the restaurants of Europe even today?
Unlike those wishing to convert the world to their blinkered ideals, Singapore's main priority is to focus on honing its competitive edge across a range of leading indicators.
We can all learn from each other's successes and failures for the betterment of our respective societies as long as we stay open and true to the facts.
John Chan, Singapore
 
Preschoolers need games, not lessons
Some correspondents have written to these columns to say that preschool education can be damaging to children.
They have rightly pointed out that preschool classes are neither good for children's development nor their future studies, as children may lose interest in studying and may not learn to think for themselves.
Preschool education is bad for both physical and mental health. Children may not just lose their interest in studying, but also their chance of enjoying a happy childhood.
Children should learn things that are appropriate to their age group. Preschool courses just increase the pressure children face.
Implementing a law to ban or limit preschool education would be problematic due to the number of courses offered in the city and potential resistance from parents worried that such a law might adverselyaffect their child's future.
It is time to change attitudes to education in Hong Kong. Communities should hold talks to discuss the negative impact of preschool education on children and hold play groups to show the benefits of alternative activities for young children.
Rainie Kwok, Tseung Kwan O
 
United States a democracy in name only
I refer to Jimmy Chan's letter ("Wanting the same rights as US citizens", July 7).
US citizens have a universal right to vote but it is naive to suggest that they also have a universal right to nominate. US presidential candidates need to be nominated by the two major political parties and have to go through complex, extremely expensive primaries.
Although civic nomination is allowed, in US history very few independent candidates have succeeded in securing presidential nomination through the civic route.
In recent history, only Ross Perot, a Texan billionaire, managed to secure civic nominations throughout all 50 states in the 1992 presidential election.
He won 18.91 per cent of the popular vote but failed to secure a single vote in the electoral college.
The US is a democracy in name only but a plutocracy in reality. No one aspiring to elected offices can get elected without substantial financial backing.
Professor Larry Lessig, formerly of Stanford Law School, has pointed out repeatedly in his public lectures that presidential elections are controlled by 150,000 wealthy donors across the US; and that congressmen and congresswomen spend 30 to 70 per cent of their time fund-raising after they have been elected into office.
By comparison, Hong Kong has much tighter campaign expense limits and thus a much fairer and cleaner system, which is much less dependent on campaign financing.
If Jimmy Chan finds US citizenship so much superior to citizenship in the Hong Kong SAR, he should try and emigrate to the US. But he should bear in mind the obligations that go with citizenship - in the case of the US, the obligation of much higher taxes to pay for the trillions of dollars of debt the US has incurred as a result of regular engagement in gratuitous and often illegal military campaigns overseas.
Anne Lau, Taikoo Shing
 
Clarify stance on unofficial referendum
Beijing has accused the University of Hong Kong's public opinion programme of running an illegal survey, but a government press release titled "Drug testing scheme wins support" endorses the results of another survey by the same team.
The Action Committee Against Narcotics agreed that a survey of 2,800 showed "strong public support for the Rescue drug testing scheme", but the chief executive dismissed the results of the unofficial referendum, a survey of over 792,000.
Can the government clarify? Is the rule surveys are valid when they say what we want?
Allan Dyer, Wong Chuk Hang
 
Limit library workstation access
Occupation of the computers in the Central Library in Causeway Bay by Indonesian maids on Sundays and public holidays is a growing problem.
They monopolise 80 per cent of available workstations from 10am when the library opens till 8pm, reserving seats for their friends using bags and denying other citizens access.
Central Library should discourage anyone from using a workstation for more than two hours.
This could be achieved by discarding the open access system on Sundays and public holidays and adopting a system requiring users to register using identity cards.
Users could then be given two hours' access from the time of registration, preventing anyone from monopolising any of the computers.
Raja Iyer, Tai Hang


Letters to the Editor, July 13, 2014

Former US presidential candidate Ross Perot. Photo: AFP

Letters to the Editor, July 6, 2014

Singapore has more affordable housing. Photo: Bloomberg

Why Singapore is a poor role model for Hong Kong

Migrant workers in Singapore enjoying their day off. The city state relies heavily on a large population of temporary, low-paid workers. Photo: AP

Letters to the Editor, July 7, 2014

Double yellow lines mean "no parking". Photo: David Wong

Opinion

Bernard Lee ("Singapore is a valid role model for HK", July 6) is right to stress that it is only sensible for a government to focus on implementing workable solutions for a country and its people, instead of being preoccupied with theories as the basis of policymaking.
