Post date: Dec 08, 2015 6:30:50 PM
Has our society lost all its marbles or collective brainpower to spend taxpayers' money on something so trivial?
I suppose most readers would be troubled by the front-page news ("Taxi driver cleared in 50-cent court case", May 17).
The passenger cited in the article paid HK$136.50 for the cab ride. When she discovered she was short-changed by 50 cents the case was reported to the police.
We learn that the driver, Tam Hoi-chi, endured a six-month ordeal, probably losing sleep and appetite, before being able to clear his name. He said the case "exhausted" him.
What baffled most readers I suppose, including me, is that the officer in charge had the notion to lay charges, thereby bringing the 50-cent dispute all the way from roadside to courtside. The Hong Kong law enforcement and judicial system must be full of tiny little holes to let something like this slip through the net.
There's a certain sickness in our society. Instead of showering "tender loving care" on those who put in an honest day's work we bark and wag our fingers at them for absolutely no reason.
Philip S. K. Leung, Pok Fu Lam
26 May, 2013http://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1246028/letters-editor-may-26-2013
Article mentioned: After six-month ordeal, taxi driver cleared of keeping 50-cent change - 17 May, 2013