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Letters

Time to help squeezed middle classes
Hong Kong people who cannot afford to buy their own homes and are forced to rent are rapidly being priced out of their flats, and the government, through its Home Affairs Department and the Office of the Licensing Authority, is playing a big part in exacerbating this by failing to act.
Many local families have had to move out of rented flats that they have occupied for many years because their landlords can now extract higher rent from operators of guest house, many of which are illegal. This has also destroyed the community spirit in many buildings.
These financially squeezed middle class locals have no choice but to rent in a market rigged in favour of landlords and developers.
This will only further widen the divide between local residents and the government, which seems not to be interested in problems facing Hong Kong people.
I suppose the government will only take action when the middle classes take to the streets.
I hope Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying wakes up and cracks his whip soon to get government departments to do their work responsibly, otherwise Hong Kong will definitely go to the dogs.
G. Michael, Tsim Sha Tsui
 
Keep political focus of liberal studies subject
I am writing in response to the controversy surrounding the liberal studies curriculum.
This curriculum is considered to be heavily tilted towards politics due to the simmering Occupy Central movement led by students. Yet, under no circumstances should the political courses be dropped.
Firstly, there is nothing wrong with the structure of the liberal studies curriculum. It focuses on six areas of which only Hong Kong today and modern China are related to politics.
Apart from teaching the basic courses, liberal studies teachers are allowed to use current news to familiarise students with how society works.
Many political issues are being discussed just now because of the Occupy Central movement.
Teachers are responsible for helping students to take a holistic view of current events.
Remaining silent and avoiding the subject will not create peace. Instead, it will lead to political apathy among citizens. It is crucial that students are allowed to develop their own political opinions.
Studying liberal studies helps them cultivate critical thinking skills since the curriculum offers a detailed analysis of many political issues.
If students do not have access to this information and analysis, they may believe whatever they hear from others. This could potentially lead to people in Hong Kong having no understanding of politics or their rights.
In conclusion, there is no need to carry out reform of the liberal studies curriculum.
There is much students can learn from the current situation that will help them develop their own political sense and confidence to voice opinions in order to achieve a more civilised society.
Chu Siu-ching, Kowloon Tong
 
Pangolins are under threat of extinction
While there is high public awareness of the plight of many endangered animals including sharks, tigers and blue whales, the plight of pangolins largely goes unnoticed.
Governments, conservation organisations and individuals need to act quickly to prevent pangolins becoming extinct.
The pangolin population has been shrinking since the 1960s. Moreover, all eight species of pangolin are already threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
In China, pangolin scales are rare and very expensive while pangolin meat is considered a delicacy. In Africa, pangolins are sacrificed for rainmaking ceremonies, hunted for meat and their scales burned to keep wild animals away.
As a single pangolin can fetch as much as HK$54,000 on the black market, many poachers hunt them and smuggle them alive, keeping them trapped in cramped cages for long periods.
It is vital that governments around the world work together to combat the poaching and trafficking of pangolins. Prohibiting smuggling of pangolins worldwide is a must.
The general public can make a difference too by donating money to conservation organisations such as the African Wildlife Foundation.
The AWF is helping to preserve the habitat of pangolins and working to stop Africans from hunting them by giving local people useful tools and money they can use to make a living. It is also working to increase awareness of the plight of pangolins.
Members of the public can also spread awareness through social networking websites. Heightened awareness of the threat to pangolins will push governments to work harder to alleviate the problem.
Rachel Ma, Yau Yat Chuen
 
Ban smoking in the street to protect health
It is acknowledged that in the long term second-hand smoke has a detrimental effect on our health, contributing to lung cancer, respiratory disease and other fatal illnesses.
There are immediate effects too, such as the impact on those with asthma. In fact, healthy people will cough after inhaling smoke let alone those suffering from illnesses.
Recently, I saw a young girl standing at a bus stop next to a rubbish bin with smouldering cigarettes in the ashtray.
The girl had her hand over her mouth in an attempt to shield herself from the fumes. Why should children be poisoned in this way?
Lung cancer is one of the most widespread forms of cancer in Hong Kong. Banning smoking in the street may go some way to addressing this problem.
Fewer people would be forced to breathe in second-hand smoke and it might even result in smokers smoking fewer cigarettes.
They may even break the habit if they get used to not smoking for longer periods of time. Therefore, lung cancer may diminish, and our air will be cleaner.
While a ban on smoking in the street might see smokers claim infringement of their rights, the positive impact on their health and that of others by reducing second-hand smoke would justify implementation of a law.
The end result would be cleaner air, a healthier population and less pressure on health services.
Atticus Mong, Sai Ying Pun
 
Limit air con use on public transport
At this time of year in particular the MTR Corporation and public bus operators should be reminded that they should not be blasting out very cold air from their air con systems into their vehicles and carriages.
The government should be monitoring these operators to ensure this does not happen.
The administration has continually stressed that we should strive for a greener environment and all these transport companies (and many other Hong Kong firms) need to be brought to task over an unnecessary waste of power and the ill effects it brings on residents.
Excessively cold air conditioning is not only bad for the environment but also for the health of individuals.
Anthony Kirk-Duncan, Lai Chi Kok


Letters to the Editor, November 23, 2014

The plight of pangolins is largely ignored. Photo: EPA

Opinion

Hong Kong people who cannot afford to buy their own homes and are forced to rent are rapidly being priced out of their flats.
