政壇：睇社論學英文：驚天海難傷未平 官僚作風害死人

歷時五十日的南丫島海難聆訊結束，事故調查委員會將於下月提交報告。從聆訊期間各方提交的證供顯示，撞船慘劇並非偶發事故，肩負驗船重責，理應確保船上設施能夠保障乘客安全的海事處，被揭有法不執，工作敷衍塞責，早已埋下禍根。可以說，南丫島海難是一樁人禍，三十九名遇難者無辜枉死，海事處難辭其咎。

任何造成大量人命傷亡的事故，都是由多個錯誤因素引發，當日「南丫四號」被撞之後迅速下沉，外界已質疑船隻為何如此「不堪一擊」，調查委員會終於解開疑團，船尾沒有安裝水密門，成為致命原因。其實，海事處過去十多年來三度驗船，明知「南丫四號」不符規格，尾艙沒有加裝水密門，竟然長期坐視不理，容許船隻繼續每日運送大量乘客航行港海，可見海事處官員危機意識薄弱，一手製造沉船隱患。

更令人震驚的是，海事處有法不執。早在○八年，已推出新例規定船上須配備百分之百成人救生衣，以及百分之五兒童救生衣，可是海事處官員驗船時從未嚴格執法，法例變成一紙空文。撞船慘劇死傷枕藉，再一次證明官僚作風害死人。

The inquiry into the collision of vessels near Lamma Island finally ended after 50 days of hearing. The Commission of Inquiry will submit its report next month. The evidences adduced by different parties during the inquiry showed that the tragedy had not been a chance occurrence. Shouldering the heavy responsibility of ship survey, the Marine Department (Mardep) should have ensured that the facilities onboard each ship were adequate for protecting its passengers. But it was exposed that Mardep had failed to enforce the law and its staff had performed their duties in a perfunctory manner. All these served to lay up trouble for the future. It may be said that the Lamma vessels collision is a man-made calamity and Mardep can hardly absolve itself of causing the death of 39 victims.

Any accident that takes a heavy toll of lives is brought about by a number of mistakes. After the collision, the rapid sinking of the vessel Lamma IV had roused a public query, asking why it was so fragile. The Commission eventually solved the puzzle: the stern compartment of Lamma IV was not fitted with a watertight door; that was the fatal root of the tragedy. Mardep has surveyed the vessel 3 times in the past dozen years. Yet, knowing Lamma IV did not comply with the relevant requirements and no watertight door was installed at its stern, Mardep still chose to turn a blind eye and allowed the ferry to ply Hong Kong waters everyday carrying loads of passengers. The Mardep officers' weak sense of crisis single-handedly courted the hidden danger of shipwreck.

It is even more staggering to find out that Mardep has never enforced the law properly. A new rule has been introduced in as early as 2008, stipulating that a passenger vessel must be equipped with 100% adult life jackets and 5% child life jackets, in terms of the vessel's passenger capacity. However, the Mardep ship surveyors have never strictly enforced the law during their inspections, rendering the rule unworthy of the paper on which it is printed. The serious casualties of the Lamma sea disaster once again prove that bureaucracy can kill.

重要生字

chance occurrence 偶發事故

lay up trouble for the future 埋下禍根

perform one's duty in a perfunctory manner 敷衍塞責