LettersWhether Hong Kong should build housing on Fanling golf course is not an issue of rich vs poor

Readers call for the protection of rare Chinese cypress trees found on the golf course, make suggestions for recycling unwanted clothes, ask that Taipei and Beijing consider a UN-brokered peace, and express concern that Japan is looking to go back to nuclear power after its 2011 disaster

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The Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling on August 17. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 11:30am, 3 Sep 2022

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Jason Wordie’s article in Sunday’s Post Magazine was very informative (“Incredibly rare trees at the Hong Kong Golf Club should be protected for future generations”, August 29). The presence of the Chinese swamp cypress, a living fossil and national treasure, should stop in its tracks the myopic commitment to destroy part of this historic golf course for short-term gains in the rush to build public housing.

A lot can change over a few years. Knowledge can be gained, and what was applicable may not be relevant any more. We need a leader who sees the bigger picture and understands the need to preserve as well as build for a better tomorrow.

Only those ruined by rote-learning fail to think out of the box and attempt to ride roughshod over any ideas that fail to fit with their narrow narrative.

Something becomes contentious for good reason. The Fanling golf course should not become a battleground between the rich and poor. The focus should be on whether to preserve something of great value.

Wordie displayed common sense when he wrote: “This unique landscape can provide multiple benefits and uses, all protected and paid for by the existing golf course.” Hopefully, his thoughtful words do not fall on deaf ears.