The community at large has been holding its breath ever since the Christian Zheng Sheng Association was accused by a magazine of misappropriating public funds and investing in a vice operation on the mainland.

Many people waited anxiously for the group to respond to accusations that sound legitimate on the surface, regardless of whether they believed them or not. It took the association one week to respond and, having waited for that long, one would have expected a well-prepared and detailed clarification from the religious body.

But that was not the case. A press conference Wednesday failed to do what was intended.

First of all, the financial data the association and its college provided to the media were less than sufficient. Financial reports for the years 2007 and 2008 were not available.

And the way the association handled the press conference - giving too little time for the media to ask questions and snatching microphones from speakers - did not help allay suspicion that it has something to hide.

That said, we should still give the association the benefit of doubt.

All the evidence against the association so far is circumstantial. The media have not found any concrete evidence that proves the body's guilt beyond doubt.

Are all the allegations fair? Are the media certain that what the association has been doing is against usual practice among charitable organizations?

What is certain so far is what the public has seen through the media - that the Christian Zheng Sheng College has helped numerous teenagers who have gone astray get back on their feet.

We have seen crying mothers welcome back their prodigal sons who have re-discovered their true selves through moral education and training in the school.

Even judges have been sending delinquent youths to this institution over the years.

These are incontrovertible accomplishments and contributions the group has made to society.

These contributions are all the more valuable at a time when a growing number of disoriented young people are taking drugs to run away from reality and when more and more teenage girls are engaging in prostitution just to earn a few quick bucks.

Thanks to media exposure since the start of the relocation row, the college has become something of an icon of selfless sacrifice and righteousness.

Perching on the moral high ground, the college and its principal, Chan Siu-cheuk, have breathed fresh air into our intensely commercialized society where morality is receiving increasingly less attention. Speeches made by Chan on the ideals of the college have moved many. The public sympathizes with Zheng Sheng because they identify with their cause.

If it turns out that the group is guilty as charged, what our society would lose is not only a correctional institution, but also a moral icon.

More importantly, the students of the college would bear the brunt of the "scandal", should it be proven real.

Their re-education relies very much on their belief that teachers, their principal and the school are honestly trying to help them.

If there is a hidden agenda behind all these, their faith would be breached and their world would come crashing down.

Hence, it is essential that Zheng Sheng straighten its financial records and provide satisfactory answers to all the accusations hurled at them over the past week, something they did not do well through the press conference.

Otherwise, the episode will cast a long shadow over its future development and will not do any good for those who are and will be enrolled in the college.

(HK Edition 08/21/2009 page1)