Letters | Hong Kong is still attractive to expats – just walk around Happy Valley Racecourse

Readers discuss the many cultures that converge at a recreation ground, the city’s declining birth rate, the disadvantage of elders switching to the JoyYou card, and fatal taxi accidents

Hong Kong economy

Letters

Published: 11:30am, 22 Jan 2024

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Recently I have been spending a lot of my time in Happy Valley. My wife had been in Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital and whenever she took a nap, I would step out and take a stroll around the Happy Valley Racecourse for some fresh air.

During these walks, I saw groups of people – children and adults, male and female – playing soccer, rugby, field hockey and even frisbee together. They were from many different ethnic groups: I could hear Cantonese, Mandarin, English with different accents, French, Spanish, Hindi, Urdu and Russian being spoken. As the players on the field enjoyed their sport, their family and friends would cheer them on from the sidelines.

The Hong Kong Premier League plays at the Hong Kong Football Club Stadium located within the racecourse. On match days, I would see locals and expatriates playing for rival teams.

The Hong Kong media should not only be telling the world that expats no longer love Hong Kong and are leaving the city with a sour taste in the mouth. We should also tell the world that many expats still enjoy living in Hong Kong.

Of course, the Hong Kong government could do much more to attract more foreign talent to Hong Kong. Hong Kong remains the regional hub for many companies. After all, Hong Kong is still the only global city of the People’s Republic of China, a country of 1.4 billion people and a trading giant. A big bulk of the goods and services being bought and sold pass through Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is still a global city where East meets West, and sport is truly a global language that unites people.

Joseph Chan, chairman, Silk Road Economic Development Research Centre

To have children, Hongkongers need hope

Soon, more than 4,000 families will each receive the HK$20,000 (US$2,600) incentive the government is handing out to encourage childbirth.

It is understandable that the government wants to reverse the city’s falling birth rate, as problems such as labour shortages may arise from underpopulation. Critics say the measure is ineffective, and does not begin to cover the cost of raising a child.

But money is not the issue. More couples are opting to have pets rather than children. One might ask why individuals are willing to invest in pets, which can be financially burdensome. There are likely deeper reasons for people’s hesitance to have children.

I am a student and many of my classmates do not want to have children. Parents have a responsibility to care for and guide their children, and this responsibility lasts for the rest of their lives. However, today’s generations tend to prioritise their personal goals. In other words, they may feel they do not have the space or time to take care of others.

Moreover, more young people are struggling with mental health. In the wider society, adults also have to deal with all kinds of stress. It may be that people are afraid to have babies because the future seems uncertain. The decision to conceive a child is an expression of hope. However, many people lack confidence that the world is safe enough to bring a child into.

Before encouraging people to have children, it is more important for the government to address the urgent matter of instilling hope and fostering a more positive society.

Cheri Lau, Kwai Chung

Don’t shut elders out of digital fare payment options

I am happy that the Transport Department is finally moving towards using more digital tools for the convenience of the public. It is very disappointing then to discover that the JoyYou card is such a major step backwards in discriminating against the elderly by making digital use impossible.

Octopus Cards has confirmed that the Transport Department refuses to allow elders to use the JoyYou on their watch or phone. Young people eligible for discounts are able to use their phone and watch, so it is clearly unfair and unreasonable to exclude elders from a more convenient digital option, which we currently are allowed to use for the Elder Octopus.

I have no difficulty showing my JoyYou card or identity card for verification of eligibility, but requiring us all to fish out the JoyYou card for both the start and end of every trip on public transport is clearly unreasonable and discriminatory. It makes a mockery of any claims of digital advance – and of any association with joy.

John Bacon-Shone, Discovery Bay

Cancelled lives due to rash driving need attention

The senseless death of renowned plastic surgeon Wilson Ho Wai-sun in a car crash while travelling in a taxi is tragic. The taxi driver has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death.

When is this government, quick to jump on the bandwagon of misplaced public sentiment over cancelled flights, going to finally act on the appalling safety standards and driving practices of many Hong Kong taxis? A cancelled flight pales into insignificance when compared to a cancelled life.

Mark Peaker, The Peak