最新發表的兩項國際排名，香港都輸給老對手新加坡。世界銀行《2014年營商環境報告》，星港繼續分佔全球首、次名，但香港總體評分被新加坡進一步拋離；《全球繁榮指數排名》，新加坡則取代香港成為亞洲第一。

港星上世紀雙雙創造經濟奇迹，但進入新世紀後，兩地發展差距持續擴大。論先天優勢，香港較新加坡有過之而無不及。新加坡雖缺乏中國因素支持，仍能不斷提升綜合競爭力；而香港背靠全球第二大經濟體的中國內地，反而停滯不前。

香港回歸十六年多，無力推動經濟轉型和落實基建項目等發展大計，前朝曾蔭權政府胡混度日，更令香港發展每況愈下。儘管過去十年受惠內地開放個人遊，可惜香港沒有把握機遇及時擴建旅遊設施，導致到處出現人滿之患，引起兩地居民衝突，激化中港矛盾。

本港年底啟動政改諮詢，政治爭拗加劇，更加無人理會經濟民生，香港陷於政治泥沼不能自拔，不沉淪才怪！

Singapore flourishes while Hong Kong languishes

Hong Kong has lost to Singapore in two recently announced international rankings. In the World Bank report “Doing Business”, Singapore and Hong Kong are the global champion and runner-up respectively, but Hong Kong's overall score lags far behind that of Singapore. In the Legatum Prosperity Index, Singapore replaces Hong Kong as number one in Asia.

Both the two cities accomplished economic miracles in the last century. However, since the dawn of the new millennium, the development gap between them has been constantly widening. Hong Kong actually has more inherent advantages than Singapore. But somehow Singapore still manages to continuously enhance its composite competitiveness, even without the support of the Chinese factor. On the contrary, Hong Kong is at a standstill although it is backed by Mainland China, the second biggest economy in the world.

For the past 16 years after the handover, Hong Kong has failed to push forward economic transformations and materialize infrastructure projects. The former Donald Tsang government just dawdled as the city steadily deteriorated. Despite the benefits brought by the Individual Visit Scheme, Hong Kong did not grasp the opportunity to expand its tourism facilities. Consequently, everywhere is now overcrowded with people, sparking conflicts between Hong Kongers and Mainlanders, as well as intensifying discords between the two places.

The Government will kick off the public consultation on constitutional reform at the end of this year. With the inevitable escalation of political rows, even less attention will be paid to economy and people's livelihood. Bogged down in the mire of politics and unable to extricate itself, Hong Kong is doomed to sink into depravity!

重要生字

inherent advantage 先天優勢

at a standstill 停滯不前

sink into depravity 沉淪

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