SCMP – FEB 04, 2009
I do not wish to pour cold water or scorn on the views of others regarding the current smoking legislation, a debate I have probably been too vocal on already.
However, having read Jason Chu Hung-shing’s comments (Talkback, February 2), I feel that although his view that we should have an outright ban on smoking is laudable, such an option would be such an intrusion by government into the personal lives of its people that we would be on a slippery slope to banning other things that could be deemed bad for the people of Hong Kong.
Let us start with cars that pollute, alcohol that intoxicates, sex that is not protected, pictures that corrupt the mind, religious groups that interfere, views that are subversive, drivers who drive badly, babies who cry and people who cut their nails on the MTR.
Don’t forget that we are in a terrible economic state and that, based on the number of our mainland brethren puffing away while saving Hong Kong from becoming nothing more than a Gibraltar of the Far East, we should also perhaps be more pragmatic and find a solution to help those who smoke and those who don’t in equal measure.
There are ways and we should not be blinkered to them.
CALLAN ANDERSON, TAIKOO SHING