Audience members debate the city’s capacity for exclusion, the controversy over water sourcing, and efforts toward environmental sustainability.

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Hong Kong is my home, and I’m immensely proud of our legal infrastructure and work efficiency. However, I find the city to be struggling in law enforcement and gatekeeping, in several unforeseen cases.

The recent
two “shell schools” being put on hold
serves as a notable case. Inno Secondary School and Tsung Tsin Middle School faced suspension due to collaborating with external organizations to help out-of-town students gain eligibility for locally subsidized higher education programs.

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As a high school educator, I find it disheartening to witness my pupils—those who have invested significant energy and hours—facing competition from inadequately prepared peers. It seems that private education centers have discovered ways around regulations and are running “front institutions” to assist students in gaining admission to regional universities. Such “front institutions” must undergo thorough scrutiny.

The unlawful use of
electric mobility devices
is yet another critical concern. Although they have been prohibited from being used on streets, many people ignore this regulation extensively. It is quite frequent to see illegal personal transport vehicles presenting a major risk to general security. Certain operators violate traffic rules, traveling at high speeds without restraint. This leads me to wonder whether I’m located in an emerging urban area, where road safety isn’t considered important and motorists aren’t trained to follow laws.

Likewise, local accounts (and online videos) showing an individual jet-skying from the mainland into Victoria Harbour raise questions about the seriousness with which border security and sea safety are being handled.

Finally, and most disappointingly, there appears to be insufficient implementation of anti-littering regulations. Reports indicate that certain visitors are ignoring fundamental manners and their ecological duties, leaving waste behind without facing consequences in the area.
High Island Reservoir
In Sai Kung East Country Park, there shouldn’t be trash bins as they would appear out of place and wouldn’t address the issue effectively. Tourists ought to be taught to handle their garbage properly. I urge them not to contaminate Hong Kong’s natural backyard.

I instruct my students on manners and principles, focusing on how they should behave and demonstrate respect both in Hong Kong and beyond. I wish that visitors to our city will eventually also uphold these informal guidelines.

Ben Pang, Sai Wan Ho

A water crisis sparks doubts regarding governmental purchasing procedures

I’m reaching out to voice my worry regarding the latest dismissal of the
Bottled water agreement of the Government Logistic Office
Water supply deal from the State Logistics Authority
Contract for packaged drinking water with the Public Services Division
Agreement regarding bottled water provision by the Administrative Support Bureau
Pact for bottled water procurement under the Ministry of Supply Chain Management
involving a mainland company, after receiving a report. The detention of the company’s proprietors upon
suspicion of fraud
brings up significant concerns regarding our government’s purchasing procedures.

The Government Logistics Department granted a major contract worth HK$53 million for 1.88 million bottles of water to this firm, which reportedly restarted operations just one year prior following several years of inactivity. This raises questions about insufficient scrutiny of the company’s qualifications.

Selecting a lesser-known brand for such a major contract, despite the availability of well-established names, brings up larger questions about procurement practices and oversight. Regular claims of following protocols fail to resolve deeper worries. Could there be terms that put local producers at a disadvantage and slow down our sector’s growth?

It’s comforting to know that the Department of Finance and the Treasury will establish a working group and ask the Audit Office to examine the bidding procedure involved. Nevertheless, the Legco should require comprehensive reports from the concerned agencies to guarantee openness. Stating merely that the process was transparent and just isn’t enough.

With the government evaluating a fresh approach to holding top-level civil servants responsible, this situation offers an important chance to improve leadership, responsibility, and administrative practices. It is essential that we update our purchasing procedures to more effectively meet the needs of the public and maintain the honesty of governmental activities.

Charles Wong, Central

Hong Kong should be commended for its approach to managing floods.

Your
article
“5 Black Rainstorms Reveal Hong Kong’s Inadequate and Outdated Climate Strategy: Experts” (August 15) may lead readers to believe that I agree with the assessment that Hong Kong’s climate approach is “inadequate” and “outdated.” The term “experts” in the title suggests my endorsement, which is not accurate.

My reply to your journalist was: “Actually, the recent incidents—although leading to some small interruptions—have demonstrated that our drainage and flood control systems have largely functioned effectively, minimizing greater damage. Hong Kong has been receiving considerable recognition for our resilience from international peers who attended our extreme rainfall seminar. This indicates that we are moving in the correct direction, yet we should remain vigilant.”

Only the second half was cited, omitting the positive background and the mention of the global acknowledgment Hong Kong has garnered. An account of this worldwide response can be found openly in the technical overview of the CPCM (Convection-Permitting Climate Modelling).
Workshop and forum
presented by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Hong Kong should keep enhancing its resilience, yet it is also crucial to recognize the strong functioning of our systems and the global acclaim they have received.

Alexis Lau, Professor Tang Junyuan in Environmental Science and Head of Environment and Sustainability at HKUST

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The piece was first published in the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), a top-tier news outlet covering developments in China and Asia.

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