Peed off

(The Standard P.1  20 Feb 2013) A mother who told her two-year-old son to pee in a bottle at a crowded Tsim Sha Tsui restaurant has sparked a new row over mainland manners.

 

The incident on Lunar New Year eve has caused a splash on the internet since the mother told her story in an online forum.

 

Her son suddenly had the urge to pee while the family was enjoying a meal at the Tsui Wah Restaurant on Carnarvon Road.

 

She said she always carries a plastic bottle for such emergencies and took her son to a quiet corner to answer nature.

 

"But a female waitress saw us and spoke loudly, saying there is a toilet upstairs," she wrote. "She repeated it five times until everyone was staring at me."

 

A male waiter joined in the fuss (小題大作), saying the boy and the bottle would upset other customers.

 

"They could have whispered (私語) to me," the mother wrote.

 

"My family and I were so depressed thanks to Hongkongers' discriminating (以特殊對待) against mainlanders."

 

The comment sparked heated debate on Facebook and other forums.

 

"The government should set up more dog toilets - it's more suitable for them," netizen Jacky Flk commented.

 

Another said: "Those who pee with their legs up will still do so even if they are well-dressed."

 

A Tsui Wah Group spokesman confirmed the incident, adding the staff spoke loudly because of the noise in the restaurant and had apologized to the customer.

 

But he stressed that "any behavior that poses (提出) a threat to food hygiene is prohibited."

 

In another incident last Saturday, dishes were hurled (被猛力投擲) inside a Fairwood restaurant in Tseung Kwan O after a woman with a mainland accent (大陸口音) got into a row (吵架) with a local. Firemen and an ambulance were called.

 

Fairwood confirmed there was a dispute (爭執). Police said two families - Chan and Wong - were eating at the restaurant on Chung Wa Road when a member of the Wong family accidentally splashed (不小心地濺) milk tea on the floor.

 

No one was injured and the case was classified (按分類) as a dispute.

 

Chung Kim-wah, director of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Center for Social Policy Studies, fears increasing tension (緊張) between Hongkongers and mainlanders is a potential timebomb (計時炸彈).

 

"The Tsui Wah case is a small incident and I believe that mainlanders will gradually adapt (漸漸地適應) to Hong Kong's culture," Chung said.

 

"But what I fear is that if such controversies escalate (爭論逐步擴大), it could develop into open warfare (開戰). It's just a matter of time (這只是時間問題)."

 

Chung stressed that the government should play an active role in easing the problem.

 

"For example, the government could consider restricting (限制) the number of multi-entry permits(一簽多行).

 

"Or it could slow down expansion (擴張) of the Individual Visit Scheme (個人遊), which might help reduce the tension between the two sides and make Hongkongers feel more comfortable.

 

"The scheme has been in force for 10 years and it's time for the government to review it."

 

Beatrice Siu

Lawmaker calls for limiting number of mainland visitors

議員呼籲限制 內地旅客訪港

(Metro Daily P.25  15 Feb 2013) Democratic party legislator James To has called for a cap (設置上限) on the number of mainland tourists coming to the territory.

He said the large numbers of visitors were affecting the daily lives of local residents.

His comments came after big crowds over the Lunar New Year holiday forced Ocean Park to suspend (暫停) the sale of tickets for two days in a row.

 

An estimated (估計) 380,000 visitors cross the border during the first three days of the Lunar New Year.

However, speaking on an RTHK radio programme, another lawmaker, Starry Lee, who is also a member of the Executive Council (行政會議), said it was not practical (實際的) to limit the number of visitors because they were already in possession (擁有) of travel documents.

She believed a mechanism (機制) should be set up instead to control any further relaxation (進一步地放寬) of policies allowing mainlanders to travel to Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, the China National Tourism Administration (中國旅遊局駐海外辦事處) is said to be very concerned about the more than 20 mainland tourists who were forced to sleep in their bus in Hong Kong because no hotel was provided for them.

Metro and agencies

Hopes high for handouts

(The Standard P.6  14 Feb 2013) Four in every five people hope that Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah will announce tax cuts (減稅), electricity subsidies and rent waivers (減免租金) for public housing tenants (公屋租戶) in his budget at the end of the month. More than three in five also hope for some tax relief (豁免稅) on money spent on children's education while nearly half want to see allowances for medical insurance. The telephone poll (民意測驗) of 850 residents was conducted from January 25 to January 30 by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (民建聯) before the Lunar New Year holiday. Legislator Starry Lee Wai-king said the results show that people are not benefiting from Hong Kong's prosperity (興旺) and "surging inflation (通貨膨脹) has devalued (貶值) their income and worsened (惡化) their living standard." Thirty-four percent believe the economy will get worse this year, while only 10percent think otherwise. "Uncertainty in the economy has caused some concern while some are afraid a property bubble (樓市泡沫) is in place," Lee said. Red packets for the Lunar New Year reflected this. Most residents said they would spend about the same as last year but some planned to cut back because of inflation and heavier financial burdens (財政負擔). Nearly 30percent said their fattest red packet would be HK$20, while fewer than 10percent said their largest packet would be HK$500. More than 30percent would cut back on festive clothing and gifts. The DAB recommends the government help out the poor, the elderly and most especially the "N-nothing group," which has not benefited from past budgets because they do not receive welfare, pay taxes or live in public housing. "The government has done a lot with the Community Care Fund (關愛基金), but there are people who are still living outside the government's safety net," Lee said. According to audit firm KPMG, the government will have a surplus of HK$23.7 billion this financial year. KPMG tax partner Jennifer Wong Hau-yee said earlier this month the government has underestimated  the revenue (低估稅收) from land sales, stamp duty (印花稅) and tax collection. But she said Hong Kong will probably see a deficit (赤字) in the 2013-14 fiscal year, thanks to increased spending on housing and infrastructure projects (基建項目).

andy Chan

浮桴記

練乙錚：誠信問題已非要害 梁氏涉黑實可雙規

信報財經新聞 29-1-2013

《信報》重磅反水「梁粉」劉夢熊上周在《陽光時務週刊》的一個訪問裏投了一顆重磅深水炸彈，震撼之餘，不少不可告人的東西，瞬即浮出水面，呈現在大家眼前。即時引導公眾視線的，是劉說的「交人」問題，即梁及其軍師張震遠交不出當日梁稱受他委託替他驗屋查僭的專業人士名單，因為那些驗樓專家其實都是子虛烏有。劉認為這是點到梁身上誠信問題的死穴。

---

不過，孤證不立，未有更多有關事實暴露之前，大家不妨存疑。況且，經過大半年來的各種公開表演，梁在僭建事上欠缺誠信，早已是不爭之實，捅出「交人」問題，港人的邊際收益，頂多是知道貴為行會成員的張震遠乃是協助梁欺騙市民、欺騙中央的共犯而已。

突把董建華擺上枱

然而，劉在該次訪問中和盤托出的，至少還有比「交人」這點或其他枝節問題重要得多的另外兩組信息。這些信息與劉的主要立論並無必然關係，劉這個「準污點證人」在此二環節作假的動機不強；而且，信息涉及的兩位大人物，至今並無公開否認事件具體內容，因而比較可信。兩組信息，其一暴露了紅色背景梁氏政權的不斷黑道化。去年，梁營在劉夢熊牽頭、有前高官「梁粉」參與的「上海仔飯局事件」之後，迅速在形象上與黑勢力切割，相當成功；不料，前不久的挺梁反示威中，出現黑道派錢計人頭的醜劇，傳媒報道人贓俱獲，梁政權的切割努力，就不顯得那麼有效。這次劉提供的有關信息，更令梁與黑道之間的盟友關係無法掩藏。其二，則是因為劉把董建華擺上枱面，致令唐梁之爭背後金權板塊的政治輪廓，忽然變得清晰。下面先談後者。

梁營後面的政治勢力，到底是團派、江派，還是什麼派？這個問題一直以來說不清，連本地左派也摸不着頭腦，以至到了「選舉」很後期，還不知道怎樣押寶。

當初，港人以為特首大位乃「儲君」唐氏囊中物，不期殺出一個程咬金，出現唐梁對峙局面，而雙方背後各有其金主，盡皆擺明陣勢，並不遮遮掩掩，港人於是漸次明白，這是要保住一哥地位的一線財團與欲取而代之的二線財團之間的一場你死我活攻防戰，而絕非北京為了準備若干年後搞普選而設的一次彩排（後一觀點已成政治笑話）。不過，在香港特定的政治環境底下，特首由誰當，一定深刻牽涉京港之間的「大政治」。在這些本地金主旁邊，還糾合了極具份量的京官及其黨內關係網，再加上這些京官的經商家族成員把持的大大小小紅色財團，組成一個一個的政商三結合；這次特首「選舉」，其實就是最大的兩個這種由本地金、內地金、京官權三者構成的金權板塊之間的政治鬥爭。由於北京政治素來不透明，金權板塊的「權」那一面如何與黨內最高層的派系掛鈎，港人無從確切知道，只能根據當時的一些已知事實大略推測：唐家與上海幫首領江澤民關係密切，因此唐後面是江派勢力；梁營聲聲「求變」，撐腰的可能是有改革傾向的團派居多。現在看來，這個當時很普遍的二分法錯得很厲害。關鍵是劉夢熊在訪問中提到董建華。

江握手後有江點頭

過去，董氏給人的印象是個好好先生、老好人，中國好、香港好，除了民主派，其他什麼都是好，並無明顯派性；唐、梁二人，當時都是他的重臣，董氏對待二人，理應無分軒輊。然而，劉在上述訪問竟無意中透露了董氏的強烈派性。董支持梁，政界早有所聞，但劉提供的信息顯示，董這次不是簡單的表表態支持，而是全情投入、死命支持。他對劉說：「夢熊，你支持梁振英，做得很好！有你幫振英，我就放心了！」董不支持老同鄉唐氏，顯然不是因為唐搞僭建暴露了。此說的證據是：後來梁被發現也曾多次偷偷搞僭建，董卻顧不了以前曾經公開要求主要官員注意品德必須「whiter than white」，關鍵時刻奮不顧身站出來替梁脫困，着港人勿拘小節、向前看。董氏此舉降格敗德不是重點，重點是證明了梁營背後也是江派；繼江握手之後還有這個江點頭。

董氏下台之後，本應小心謹慎，脫離所有政治派別，專心一意為國家做外交方面的實事，以彌補一己過失；但這次再以江派身份積極干政挺梁，被劉無意中暴露了，也許會觸怒胡、溫、習，再惹麻煩，實屬不智。

唐、梁惡鬥而同屬江派，此點並不稀奇；歷代帝皇膝下有幾個兒子不和、各擁重臣黨羽互相傾軋的例子多的是；就算是毛時代，他下面派系也廝殺不斷，何況江氏？江上台之後，改了黨章，大批黨員成為資本家，他眾多的手下、親屬，挾着黨國權力、資源和關係到香港覓食，泊哪個碼頭媚哪個金主，他無謂管，也管不着。

既然梁後面是江派而非團派，那麼他的政治前途在習近平上台之後就充滿變數。大家知道，董是江欽點上台卻給胡錦濤即團派打下來的；胡、溫對梁這位江點頭，大概也沒很大好感，故梁得勝後首度上京面聖那次，胡、溫對他的態度半慍不火。若習上台而在江派與團派之間和稀泥，梁也許不難保住特首之位，做到2017。但顯然，年來的情況並不這樣發展；薄熙來事件之後，江派與團派惡鬥，習很快站到團派一邊。團派多次高調提反腐，江派掌控的《環球時報》卻推出「適度腐敗論」，主張政府教導民眾養成接受「適度腐敗」的心態，以確保管治穩定；但習一上台，甚至不等今年3月兩會召開，就把反腐工作提升到首要地位，聲稱「老虎」、「蒼蠅」一起打，也順帶打了《環時》一巴掌。留意國內政治動態的人，還可以舉出多個類似的事例，說明江、習互鬥，刀光劍影；最近的一起，無疑是轟動國內外的「《南周》事件」。《南周》元旦獻詞支持習提出的 「把憲法落到實處」 的口號，卻被江派中宣部官員粗暴抽起；雙方最後打個平手，江派在輿論方面卻輸一大截。在香港，力推梁氏上台的中聯辦兩個領導，於去年底忽然倒台，一個下放廣西，一個官貶澳門。兒皇帝頓失牯持，形勢如何，他自己知道。下一回梁到中聯辦，要叩見的，是一個比他年輕一大截的小伙子，真是情何以堪。

然而，更令梁氏不安的，無疑是替劉夢熊爆料的媒體《陽光時務》，據說與《南周》同一淵源，都有胡、溫、習的背景；大家若拿《陽光時務》訪問劉夢熊的原文看看，便可知道，堂堂一個香港特區行政長官候選人，得到「江氏紅」中聯辦的點頭去馬之後，是怎樣「斥之乞來」、「呼之不去」，怎樣誠惶誠恐，怎樣卑躬屈膝打哈哈擺和頭酒，最後得到黑道百分百支持，神一樣替他撐住了比唐氏高的「民意」，讓當時的中聯辦領導得以「名正言順」抬他上位。是屆香港特區行政長官，可說是紅色父系與黑色母系結合的產物。

香港社會黑道化？

不過，北京當時的最高領導（胡、溫）不一定知道梁靠之上台的「民意」，背後原來還有這麼一筆。劉夢熊指梁氏犯欺君之罪，主要恐怕不是他說的「三個專業驗樓人士都是子虛烏有」那一條；的確，僭建對北京而言，正如劉說，「小菜一碟」而已。真正嚴重的欺君罪，乃梁氏暗地裏炮製了一個帶有廣泛欺騙性的「黑底民意」——技巧高得連本地一份高格調的知識分子報的高層，也給糊弄得暈頭轉向；而這個「黑底民意」，可能在北京作最後決策之時，起了作用。這是大得多的欺君罪。

香港有了這樣的一個怪胎特首，人們心中肯定產生很多疑問：特區政權往後的性質是什麼？今後五年，黑道將如何透過特首的回禮，悄悄影響香港政治、社會、經濟？港人忍受得了？稍有良知的本地左派接受得了？（工聯會就有點受不了，認為「幾醜陋」；民建聯急急打圓場，看來還吞得下；一眾政府內外的「梁粉」新愛國則若無其事。本應最懂得「君子不立危牆之下」這條德訓的前高官如羅范、葉劉，第一時間替梁氏擋駕；精英中的精英猶利令智昏如此，可問是什麼世道人心了？）國際上，中國出了一個關鍵時刻靠黑道資源上台的特區首長，別的國家如何看待？梁氏外訪的時候，與別的國家、地區首長同席之際，別人會有些什麼眼光？（新加坡和英國已經在鄙夷；台灣的民進黨肯定是笑死了。）不過，笑罵由人，政治上最關鍵的是，新上台、據說要推一番清廉新氣象的習近平，如何看待這潭江派遺留下來新鮮熱辣上海屎蘇州屎？受得了受不了？他若受得了，本國人民、港人會怎樣看他「海涵」一個染黑特首？外國政要又會怎樣看他的魄力、取向？回想解放前的國民黨，由最高領導蔣介石起，都黑道化了，怎麼現在梁振英也同樣黑道化？香港在共產黨員領導下回歸到萬惡的舊中國去了？

兩組信息，兩個結論：其一說明梁營是江系裏頭的一個派別（而且只是一個少數派別，得不到香港的一線資本家支持，小圈子裏頭的千二票，靠了中聯辦擔當「黨鞭」，還不過佔了689）；其二揭露梁氏取得政權，一半靠黑道，未來的香港社會各方面必定因而逐步染黑。跟隨梁氏進入本屆政府的人，要知道自己在吃的是什麼飯，吐出來看看是什麼個顏色，就會明白（頗令筆者難過的是，這些人當中，不少是筆者以前的朋友、好友、學生。）。

由大陸什麼派的人管治香港，對港人而言，分別也許不大；國內外很多人都認為江派是中國當今李鵬那派之外的另一最大貪腐派別，但說到底，大家還不知道習與江在本質上有何區別。光說話不算數，還要看得見他怎樣行事。另外一方面，香港黑道化，則香港有難了。當然，有可能劉夢熊也在此事上說謊；故首先應該在事實上嚴格求證。允許立法會以各種有效機制向三個涉黑助選當事人套取材料是一個辦法，但其實效勢將因為保皇派的阻撓而大打折扣。此外，因為當事人都是政協要人，不排除還是黨員，組織上因而都直接受共產黨領導；由中共中央循黨系統對這幾個以梁為首的涉黑當事人在大陸某處進行「雙規」，也許是一個更有效的清查途徑。但那要假定習近平是一個有所作為的人。

《信報》特約評論員

練乙錚

Fury as curbs hit delivery workers

 

(The Standard P. 4  5 Feb 2013) Anger erupted(爆發)along the East Rail Line yesterday as the MTR tightened luggage restrictions (收緊行李限制)to curb (遏止) parallel traders.

The new maximum limit of 23 kilograms - down from 33kg - not only affected traders but caused bona fide (真實的) delivery men and couriers as well as traveling families to lose their tempers.

In Fo Tan, where factories and depots (車房) are concentrated (集中的), a worker delivering computer parts to Yuen Long and Tuen Mun was stopped at the station entrance as her package weighed 27kg.

The worker said she has been doing similar deliveries almost every day and the new luggage restriction (限制規定) is creating problems for her and other delivery workers.

"I'm not a parallel trader so why do they do this to me?" she asked.

Despite a heated exchange with an MTR staff member, she had no choice but to leave the station and take a taxi.

Shortly after (不久), a document courier was barred (被堵塞的) from entering after his bags weighed 26kg. He said: "My income will drop since the more documents I deliver, the more I can earn."

Another woman traveling to Shanwei to stay with her family for the holiday was also stopped after her luggage - clothes, candies, shampoo and chocolates - was 2kg above the limit.

Similar scenes were reported in the five other stations equipped with scales on the East Rail Line.

But an MTR Corp spokeswoman said the stations operated smoothly on the first day of the new luggage restrictions.

"Passengers were cooperative (樂意合作的) and the company has not received any complaint so far(到目前為止)," she said.

The measure will be implemented on a trial basis (試驗階段) for three months and the company will review the situation from time to time, the spokeswoman added.

Candy Chan

 

Students blow hot and cold on global warming

( The Standard P.5  5 Feb 2013) Nearly all Hong Kong students believe living a low-carbon  lifestyle (低碳生活方式) will help prevent climate change (氣候變化), but few actually do so.

A Baptist University survey (浸會大學調查報告) found 95 percent of the 6,000 students polled agree that human activities are the primary cause (主要的原因) of climate change.

But they are only willing to commit (願意付諸行動於) to walking or traveling by public transport to school, rather than change their lifestyles on clothing choices and eating habits.

"The developed and mature public transport network allows students to travel conveniently even by public transport," Kenneth Wong Koon-kwai, of the Baptist University department of geography, said.

"On the other hand, materialism (唯物主義) is still the dominant social value, and they are less willing (不太願意的) to change their clothing choices."

The survey canvassed Secondary One to Secondary Six students from 46 schools, including aided (支援), direct subsidy scheme (直接資助計劃), government and international schools.

Wong said secondary students' consciousness (意識) towards (朝向) environment protection is moderate (適度的), showing they have a positive attitude towards environment protection.

He said students believe it is difficult to change lifestyles. There is also a lack of information about the green lifestyle(實踐環保生活).

The survey shows that students believe climate change will have a significant effect (顯著的影響) on Hong Kong, such as increasing the frequency of extreme weather, a deterioration (惡化) of air quality (空氣質素), ecological destruction (生態破壞) and energy consumption (能源消費量).

Wong said those studying in international schools have relatively lower commitment (支持) to a low-carbon lifestyle (低碳生活方式), probably because they come from wealthier families.

He said the current education system does not contain sufficient (充分的) information about climate change and what is available is scattered(散佈的) in a number of subjects, or students obtain (獲得) information from the internet and the media, proving the system is inadequate (不充分的).

The government should review and update the "Guidelines on Environmental Education in Schools" that have been used for more than a decade (十年).

Kelly Ip