In other parts of the world, when a government has a budget surplus, much of that surplus is returned to the people in the form of improved community services, but not in Hong Kong.
Despite the fact that a substantial contribution to the Hong Kong government's surplus derives from property tax, which in one way or another imposes an indirect charge on every resident in the form of escalating rents and property prices, none of the surplus will be spent on improved street management.
Look at and around our streets - uneven pavements, road subsidence, obstructions everywhere, piles of rubbish dumped beside public dustbins, street railings used to store countless trolleys and other personal items. There are very visible illegal banners, posters and screens on most streets. Venture up any alleyway and you will find pools of putrid discharge and rats as large as cats.
The only government officers visible on the street are a few hawker controllers hanging around on corners, chatting and studiously ignoring any location where they could be enforcing anti-littering regulations.
There is no daily inspection of our streets and alleyways by Food and Environmental Hygiene Department officers and nobody around to ensure that hygiene regulations are enforced.
Illegal discharge pipes ensure that alleys are breeding grounds for vermin, flies and mosquitoes. Apparently this health risk is due to a lack of manpower in the Buildings Department, and therefore the perpetrators never get prosecuted. How about outsourcing this duty?