政壇：睇社論學英文：申報機制多漏洞 利益輸送洗不清

出了問題就推給制度，這一招早已屢見不鮮。其實，問題不在申報本身，而是權貴對接受款待是否有礙觀瞻，視申報制度為接受利益輸送的護身符，根本難以服眾。

變化才是永恒，過去合理的，現在未必合理；過去能容忍的，現在未必能容忍。商業機構款待公職人員出遊考察並非新生事物，今日惹起爭議，正因民情轉變。市民過往信任公職人員廉潔奉公，但近年香港官場日益內地化，公眾憂慮香港廉政核心價值受損，對公職人員的操守要求提高，利益申報須與時並進，也是合情合理。

商業機構為自身利益，透過種種方式游說公職人員，進而影響決策。美國及台灣等地均已就商業游說立法規管，增加透明度。相對而言，香港現行利益申報制度對商業游說的監管及透明度甚低，只有檢討有關機制，才能正本清源，消除公眾對官商勾結的疑慮。

Loopholes in declaration mechanisms

arouse suspicion of interest transfer

A number of Executive Councillors and Legislative Councillors are criticized over potential transfer of interest after an airline treated them to a luxurious junket to France. Although many of the participants offered apologies and donations afterwards, one still refused to admit his fault. Stating that there had been similar entertainments before and he had already made declaration in accordance with the rules, he insisted the junket was nothing wrong. The Hong Kong Government also endorses his act, stressing the declaration mechanism of the Executive Council is strict and sound.

Passing the buck to the system whenever an issue comes up is nothing new. In fact, the problem does not lie with the declaration itself, but the sensitivity of the bigwigs. If they ignore public perception and use the declaration system as a talisman, the public will never be convinced.

Things change. What was reasonable in the past may not be reasonable now. What was tolerable in the past may not be tolerable now. It is not a newly emerging practice that business establishments sponsor trips for public officers. There is uproar today because the public sentiment has changed. In the old days, people trusted that the civil service was clean. However, in view of the increasing “Mainlandization” of local official circles in recent years, the public is worried that Hong Kong's core value of a corruption-free government may be damaged. It is only reasonable for the people to ask for a more disciplined civil service and an interest declaration system that keeps abreast with the times.

For their own interests, commercial establishments would lobby public officers through all sorts of channels in a bid to influence their decision-making. Places like the United States and Taiwan have, for the sake of enhancing transparency, already legislated against business lobbying. The existing interest declaration system and the regulation of business lobbying in Hong Kong are, in comparison, far from transparent. Only by reviewing and radically reforming the relevant mechanisms can the public's doubt about government-business collusion be dispelled.

重要生字

junket 公費旅遊

bigwig 權貴

business lobbying 商業游說