https://www.scmp.com/rss/276528/feed Amy Lai, a lawyer, was educated at Cambridge University and the University of British Columbia en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Some people cannot imagine a world without love. One might argue that what is more essential to a society is the rule of law – laws based on the principles of justice. Love may be spontaneous and fleeting, but citizens whose liberties are protected by law can live in peace, security and with dignity. Laws can be enforced; love cannot. In 2012, the Hong Kong government sought to introduce Chinese civic education into its public school curriculum as an attempt to inculcate love and respect in Hong... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3024851/can-hongkongers-be-made-love-china-probably-not-hasnt-stopped?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3024851/can-hongkongers-be-made-love-china-probably-not-hasnt-stopped?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Aug 2019 22:45:05 +0000 Joseph Sung Jao-yiu, the vice-chancellor of Chinese University, recently advised parents who accompanied their children to campus on the first day of term to "let go" so they can learn to be independent. He also emphasised the importance for students to approach such issues as Occupy Central rationally and peacefully, and to make independent judgments. The local media often tends to portray students in a negative light at the start of a new academic year, highlighting their apparent immaturity.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1311808/praise-parents-supporting-their-child-transition-university?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1311808/praise-parents-supporting-their-child-transition-university?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The government has yet to decide on whether to approve new domestic free television licences in Hong Kong. ATV's executive director James Shing Pan-yu said our city could not accommodate more TV stations and that such a move would be disastrous for the industry. Some commentators have likewise argued that more competition in an already saturated industry would lead to "bad money driving out good", meaning that stations that deliver high-quality products will be forced out of the market, while... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1097488/competition-will-lead-better-tv-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1097488/competition-will-lead-better-tv-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Lawmaker Cyd Ho Sau-lan put forward a proposal calling for public consultation on legislation to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. Members of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong denied such discrimination existed, and added that to outlaw such discrimination, even if it did exist, would be an act of over-legislation because such laws were difficult to enforce. Fortunately, the DAB did not take an extreme moralistic stance by denouncing sexual... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1086181/gay-bias-law-could-help-create-more-tolerant-society?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1086181/gay-bias-law-could-help-create-more-tolerant-society?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The strange phenomenon of celebrity tutors in Hong Kong, developed over the past decade or two, has not declined with the recent adoption of the 3-3-4 system of six years in secondary school and four years in university. In the past, whether students could enter university hinged on their performances in two public exams; now, one diploma exam seals their fate. Yet, as "tutor kings and queens" continue to dominate billboards, one suspects that this is more than a result of a flawed educational... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1075563/beware-celebrity-tutors-masters-marketing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1075563/beware-celebrity-tutors-masters-marketing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 As expected, Beijing celebrated Mo Yan's award of the Nobel Prize for literature as a national triumph. Also unsurprisingly, though, critics and activists have questioned whether Mo's Communist Party membership qualifies him for the honour and whether the Swedish Academy sent the right message to the Chinese regime by honouring him. The award committee tried to extract itself from this issue by claiming that it was "awarded on literary merit alone", especially for his use of "hallucinatory... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1063311/mos-works-line-nobel-vision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1063311/mos-works-line-nobel-vision?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 A group of Japanese, led by Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburo Oe, has issued a statement criticising their government's handling of territorial disputes and urging it to stop its battles with Taiwan and China over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and with South Korea over the Dokdo/Takeshima Islands. Issued late last month, the statement said Japan annexed Dokdo and the Diaoyus when South Korea and China were too weak to assert diplomatic claims. While the annexation of Dokdo marked the beginning... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1058008/timely-reminder-ills-nationalism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1058008/timely-reminder-ills-nationalism?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000