Public's interests first

The Legislative Council's Finance Committee votes on Friday on the government's requests for funding to expand two of the city landfills, at Tuen Mun and Ta Kwu Ling. Several lawmakers, who had supported both projects at a Public Works Subcommittee meeting earlier, have now changed their minds or are sitting on the fence. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying on Tuesday appealed to legislators to back the funding as Hong Kong cannot afford to dispense with the landfills.

Hong Kong is staring at the reality that its three existing landfills will reach full capacity in the next two to six years with thousands of tons of waste that cannot be recycled dumped onto the landfills every day no matter how hard we try to change our wasteful lifestyle. That means we have no choice but to expand the landfills until a better way is found to dispose of the garbage. Hong Kong needs to put the collective interests of the whole society before those of their own and certain communities, with the help of various political parties.

Without such a mentality and parties that are prepared to shoulder responsibility for the collective interests of society, there's no hope of resolving major controversies like that over landfill expansion. The SAR government will also find itself tied up every now and then because lawmakers and political parties tend to put their own benefits before the community's long-term interests. The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong has set a good example by taking into account the public's collective interests, backing the landfill expansion plans and demanding that the government address residents' concerns at the same time.

Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Tuesday she will personally respond to the concerns of Tuen Mun residents affected by the landfill project, as well as their demands for improved public facilities, roads and environmental protection when the Tuen Mun District Council meets on Thursday to discuss its stand on the government's funding request. It's necessary for the government to talk to residents directly regarding controversial issues in order to ease the pressure on lawmakers representing them and convince them to support government policies.

This is an excerpted translation of a Wen Wei Po editorial published on July 10.

Chan Yung

Cherish our rule of law

Hong Kong is a wonderful place, where Confucian culture permeates residents' daily life and nourishes their sense of family and the nation as well as keeping the age old tradition of family bonding whenever possible, particularly on public holidays and weekends. We Hongkongers are proud that our home town is reunited with the motherland forever. At the same time, we also maintain such core values as the rule of law, freedom, human rights and democracy; we are not afraid to expressing our opinions to the government; and push forward social progress to make the city more suitable for living. Hong Kong is a lovable society, where people are generally tolerant of, and respect each another; and the cultural atmosphere is filled with diversity, variety and vitality.

The Hong Kong Celebrations Association organized multiple events in all 18 districts on July 1 to mark the 16th anniversary of the handover, staging them closer to residential areas than before for easier access. More than 200,000 people attended the celebrations. Meanwhile, the opposition camp held its annual protest march, but they were surprised it attracted far fewer people than ever before and was much more peaceful, or uneventful for that matter. The demonstration did not turn into a "dress rehearsal" for the "Occupy Central" illegal campaign as many people feared. This time on July 1, there were various activities for various purposes and attended by people with diverse views without conflict or violence. Once again, it demonstrated the admirable quality of Hong Kong citizens.

Hong Kong is a diverse society where human rights are highly protected by law and everyone can express their true feelings on the handover anniversary. The diversity and openness of Hong Kong society depends primarily on the rule of law, in which local residents have very strong faith. This fact also explains why "Occupy Central" is so widely loathed by members of the public here. Hong Kong is our home. It is built on core values such as fraternity, the rule of law, freedom and tolerance. As a member of this family, every Hong Kong resident should cherish and protect our core values as well as exercising our individual rights according to law. Our rule of law and democracy are not mutually exclusive but mutually beneficial.

The author is a Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress and president of the New Territories Association of Societies. This is an excerpted translation of his commentary published in Hong Kong Commercial Daily on July 8.

(HK Edition 07/11/2013 page9)