We are puzzled that a committee has now been formed to "review or reform or cancel" the quota system for the civil service, come as it does after the prime minister had already announced in parliament on April 11 that quotas in public service recruitment will be abolished and later, on June 26, that a committee led by the cabinet secretary was working to resolve the matter.

Now that a committee has been formed, however, we would like to point out that the committee must go into the heart of the basic issues, principally as it concerns the character that our public service sector would take. And though it is acceptable to have quotas where special dispensation is made for disadvantaged groups to balance out any existing lop-sidedness, what is also important, simultaneously, is to not go overboard and not overlook the importance of merit. Because, in order to do justice to citizens by providing them with the best government services, it again is necessary to base public service recruitment predominantly on merit, which is not the case in the current system. For example, 56 percent of public service positions are reserved based on one criterion or another, reducing merit-based recruitment to 44 percent.

Meanwhile, the authorities need to rein in BCL men who have gone beyond all acceptable limits in terrorising peaceful student protesters, simply for exercising the most basic rights that are guaranteed to citizens in any democracy.

We are hopeful that the government will recognise the grievances of students, especially after the prime minister's assurance. But what we also hope is that the government will involve reform protestors to take in their sentiment and to resolve the matter as early as possible.