cab chat

Fong Chun-kwok, 50, believes railway services have become unreliable and today's teenager are too soft; From Central to Tuen Mun Fare $296.5

'I buy frozen pork imported from the US or Brazil available at chain stores instead of that from stalls in wet markets after reading news reports about the pig-borne disease outbreak in Sichuan. But I am not worried, because I do not think Hong Kong will be affected. It is different from Sars.

But I think the SAR government should take more initiative to take action in response to the epidemic. It even has not barred mainland pork entering Hong Kong after learning the news and being urged to do so repeatedly by legislators. I guess the government is afraid of upsetting the central government, so the Hong Kong officials just wait for the mainland authorities to impose the ban.

The central government always says 'one country, two systems' runs very well in Hong Kong, which enjoys a high degree of autonomy. But the truth is Hong Kong has no say in anything; everything is decided by Beijing.

The government officials now only wait for orders from the mainland; even they know they should take swift action regarding some issues. Sars is a perfect example and it seems that the government still has not learned the lesson after so many people died in 2003. It still failed to respond quickly after the pig-borne disease epidemic hit the headlines.

Most people think our new Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen will do a much better job than Tung Chee-hwa. But I find them both lousy leaders who have no guts to stand up for Hong Kong's interests.

Mr Tsang is just another puppet controlled by Beijing and I do not have much expectation of him. He has no real power to do anything for Hong Kong, even if he can and has the ability to do so.