Advertisement
Advertisement

Singapore gleeful at SAR's discomfort

Another bull's-eye for property tycoon Li Ka-shing in spreading gloom about Hong Kong's worsening investment climate. His words fell like manna on the ears of pundits in Singapore, the SAR's fiercest competitor.

The influential Chinese-language Lianhe Zaobao, sister paper of the New Straits Times, ran a signed article this week saying how right Mr Li was in his view that the economic and political situation in the SAR was pretty bad.

It also cited Hong Kong newspapers on the fact that the performance of SAR officials during the Asian financial crisis was not as good as their Singaporean counterparts.

'Li Ka-shing's comments were another shock to Hong Kongers since the 'Singapore challenge'. It looks like similar shocks will come one after the other in the coming year,' the Lianhe Zaobao piece went on, adding such 'shocks' were good for Hong Kong.

Er . . . possibly. But not half so good as they are for the folks in the Lion City to read about as they struggle to cope with an even greater economic mess of their own.

Chief Secretary for Administration Anson Chan Fang On-sang has abandoned the concept of 'one country, two systems' - as far as marriage is concerned, anyway.

Speaking at the wedding banquet of two high-flying administrative officers on Tuesday, the head of the civil service showed a ready wit when she handed out a few guidelines to the happy couple, telling them that in wedlock, the principle of 'two persons, one system' should be closely adhered to.

Uniting two people for life, she said, required 'sincerity and co-operation' from each other. Noting she and her husband Archie had just celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary, Mrs Chan advised her former press secretary Betty Ching Suk-yee to learn to cook at least a few dishes.

Dubbed the Iron Lady, Mrs Chan is known as a good cook specialising in Shanghainese food. Ms Ching, now Mrs Fung after tying the knot with Wilson Fung Wai-yip, was formerly media strategist for Mrs Chan and the Financial Secretary before moving over to the Trade Department. Her bridegroom is principal assistant secretary for planning, environment and lands.

After working with the money guru, Mrs Chan assured Wilson that Betty would take care of their finances in a 'prudent manner, with a balanced budget and no deficit'.

Even if the new husband wants to keep his wages on his own account, 'a high degree of transparency' was most needed, she said.

And whatever happens, the Chief Secretary cautioned, neither partner should ever install a 'second stove', a symbolic expression used by mainland officials to establish a provisional legislature on July 1, 1997.

The Environmental Protection Department is doing its bit to save paper.

Under a new law, environmental impact assessments must now be produced for development projects, and they are all stored in a room in the Southorn Centre in Wan Chai for inspection.

However, anyone who wants to have a photocopy has to fill in a form which then must be taken to the nearest government treasury office, which happens to be in Revenue Tower in Wan Chai North 800 metres away. They take the money and stamp the form.

When you get back you return the suitably stamped form, and then the photocopying begins.

Our unintrepid reporter gave up after discovering the need for a round-trip walk of more than 20 minutes, plus the agony of queueing with the teeming multitudes paying their tax. And all to pay a bill of $6.10 to copy 13 pages.

Post