We need real policies that fix our problems, not publicity stunts

The weekend before last, we were regaled with photo ops of our chief secretary and bureau heads pretending to roll up their sleeves and clean up our city.

Do we really want officials earning HK$300,000 a month plus generous allowances to spend their time on tasks normally entrusted to cleaners who, if they are lucky, earn HK$6,000 per month

There would be no need for repeated cleanup campaigns if these officials were taking to the streets on a regular basis and doing their real job, which is to 'get the job done', as our chief executive promised in his pre-election spiels, by ensuring that government policy is carried out and regulations are enforced.

Why do we never find these bureau heads making unexpected inspections of the many stinking back alleys, restaurant kitchens swimming in garbage and blocked exits? Neither do we ever see them riding on public transport, reminding passengers to take their half-eaten snacks with them.

While the swine flu may or may not develop into a pandemic, air pollution is a constant cause of respiratory problems in our city, yet we never see bureau heads cruising our streets, advising selfish drivers to turn off their engines.

If Secretary for Transport Eva Cheng and Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau Tang-wah had wanted to devote time to the community that weekend then, rather than wander around with the media in tow, they would have sat down and worked on the environmental impact assessment for the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge.