Letters

Deprived of priceless right to vote

I am strongly opposed to the government's proposal to scrap by-elections in the Legislative Council.

It is the duty of the Hong Kong government to safeguard every citizen's rights as enshrined in the Basic Law. One of them is the right to vote in elections.

This invaluable political entitlement is important for people to express their will. Any move to restrict this is ill-conceived. It is shameful for the administration to put forward a proposal that diminishes our political rights.

The excuses given by officials do not justify us losing our vote. Obviously they want to prevent another de facto referendum triggered by the resignation of lawmakers.

I believe a referendum is the fairest and most peaceful way for citizens to express their views on important social and political issues. It is practised in most democracies but it is taboo in authoritarian states such as China.

With the aim of ruling out any referendum by scrapping by-elections, the Hong Kong government is trying to please Beijing at the expense of our political rights.

As Hong Kong lacks a de jure referendum, a de facto one can only be triggered by groups of legislators resigning in order to gauge people's views on issues of paramount significance. I consider such resignations to be meaningful and necessary.

I urge every citizen to cherish his priceless right to vote.

Michael Ko, Sham Shui Po

Great city, shame about the locals

I recently returned to Australia from a week-long holiday in Hong Kong and found the city to be an eye-opener - full of life, excitement and colour.

The streets were bustling, the food was amazing, and the shopping was great. But I am sad to say that the locals were very rude.

I have never come across so many rude people. No one held the door open for another person to walk through. No one offered their seat to a pregnant woman or elderly person. No one said please, thank you or excuse me. Yet there are plenty of signs asking everyone to cover their mouth when they sneeze or cough.

I would not recommend Hong Kong as a tourist destination, purely because of the rudeness of a large number of local residents I encountered during my week-long stay.

Steve Stefanopoulos, Melbourne, Australia

Recruitment drive may be unwise

It has been suggested that joining the People's Liberation Army would be a career path for young Hongkongers to consider. I believe there are a number of drawbacks that should not be overlooked.

Allegiance to the army is linked to the Communist Party. This is not the same as declaring allegiance to Queen Elizabeth before the handover, given that the PLA has historically been led by the party. Would Hongkongers who joined the PLA be faced with orders to violate human rights? Would they be required to infiltrate local political parties? Even if they were not ordered to do so, it would leave local parties feeling uncomfortable and have an adverse effect on the city's progress towards democracy.

Would Hong Kong citizens feel comfortable with their young people being in the PLA given its history - for example, joining in North Korea's invasion of the south and various crackdowns on the mainland? And what if an assault was ordered against democratic Taiwan?

Also, when it comes to foreign and defence policies, those decisions are not in the hands of Hong Kong citizens, but are made by the central government. The city benefits from having no involvement in these acts of state.

For example, we have no involvement in any territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Other countries in dispute with China do not burn the Hong Kong flag or boycott our exports. That perception of neutrality could end if citizens from the SAR served in the army.

Leung Ka-kit, Yau Tsim Mong

Integration of delta airports best option

I have been reading with interest the Airport Authority's propaganda on the need for a multibillion-dollar expansion of the airport, giving the public a choice, with or without a third runway.

It cites figures of how much Hong Kong would lose in passengers and cargo, and that the returns for the city will far exceed the HK$136 billion cost of the expansion.

I am pleased that the South China Morning Post in its editorials has questioned the need for such an expansion given the calls from the central government for the Pearl River Delta airports to integrate.

The Airport Authority must not use the same excuse it gave for building Terminal 2. It has cost taxpayers billions and is a white elephant. To justify Terminal 2 they also cited various figures.

This time they have made public studies by consultants to justify further expansion. But they have not told us how many studies have been undertaken and how much they have cost. Have the consultants been asked to look into the feasibility of integration of the delta airports?

Those supporting the expansion have vested interests. Cathay Pacific wants more room for more flights and wants cargo originating from the delta region to continue to be trucked and shipped here and loaded onto their planes, causing more pollution all along the way. It does not want to see mainland airlines getting the business.

We do not need further expansion of the airport. It is already causing too much pollution. With the building of high-speed trains to nearby airports, we could work closer together and share the business.

The administration of Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, with a year to run, is giving away HK$6,000 to people who do not need it while poor people continue to suffer.

Let us get this right before we squander HK$136 billion on a third runway we do not need.

F. Wong, Mong Kok

Popular destination for migrants

Paul Karl Lukacs ('Oath of allegiance a passport to servitude', July 7) writes, 'Gratitude may be a virtue, but there's no reason to waste it on' the United States of America.

There are, in fact, at least 15 million reasons - the number of applicants from around the world who participated in the recent Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery exercise to obtain permanent residency in the United States, despite the availability of only 55,000 visas.

Ross Feingold, vice-chairman, Republicans Abroad Hong Kong