I couldn’t agree more with what Christine Houston wrote (“ Government inaction root of city’s problems ”, August 11). In fact, the government’s inaction is broader than what was implied. It runs through the core of the civil service. It is said there are three “waits” for civil servants – wait for the end of office hours, wait for annual leave and wait for retirement. One can sum up the modus operandi of government civil servants under three heads: don’t rock the boat, let sleeping dogs lie and retain the status quo. This creates a breeding ground for the civil unrest we have witnessed in recent years. It is time to overhaul the civil service to promote accountability, effectiveness and efficiency. It is also time to review their pay scale in relation to private sector salary levels and vulnerability to economic downturn. Meanwhile, the opposition parties have failed to take the opportunity to be a more meaningful and helpful check and balance on the government. Instead, they have acted up in legislative sessions and made unrealistic demands. They can count on my vote if they change their five demands for these demands: put Hong Kong people’s interests first; push for affordable housing; employment opportunities with decent wages; preserving Hong Kong’s way of life, including the Cantonese dialect; and non-collusion with businesses. There is no reason parties should not support the above issues if they want to win over voters. H. Hiew, Sheung Shui