政壇：睇社論學英文：濠江風景獨好 香江斯人憔悴

澳門特首崔世安發表題為《增進民生福祉立足長遠發展》的施政報告，推出一系列扶貧紓困措施，而且加碼派錢，每名永久居民派八千元，非永久居民派四千八百元，敬老金增至六千六百元，養老金則增至每月三千元，明年還會向每個中央儲蓄戶口額外注資六千元，此外還有退稅、醫療券、電費補貼、豁免社屋住戶全年租金等等惠民措施。

自二○○八年起，澳門政府年年派錢，有時甚至一年派兩次，今次已是第七次了，不僅一次比一次豪爽，一次比一次周到，而且將短期扶貧與長遠承擔相結合，真正做到還富於民，安居樂業。雖然各處鄉村各處例，香港情況不同，未必有條件亦未必有需要學澳門年年大手筆派錢，但令人莫名其妙的是，港府大事做不來，小事做不好，連派錢也派得怨聲載道，尤其長者生活津貼阻力重重，一拖再拖，當局堅持設立資產申報制度，議員則以拉布阻撓，行政與立法陷入沒完沒了的角力，數十萬老人家淪為犧牲品。

同樣的天空下，有着不一樣的故事。同樣是「一國兩制、高度自治」，為甚麼澳門可以成功，而香港則問題多多，不僅值得港人好好反思，更值得中央政府好好檢討。

While Macau prepares another grand giveaway, Hong Kong people cannot expect anything close

In his latest Policy Address, Macau’s Chief Executive Dr Fernando Chui Sai-on launched a series of poverty-relief measures and handed out even more sweeteners. While 8,000 patacas will be granted to permanent residents and 4,800 to non-permanent ones, the elderly will receive a one-off payment of 6,600 patacas and a monthly subsidy of 3,000 patacas. In the coming year, 6,000 patacas will be injected into every central saving account, in addition to tax rebates, medical vouchers, electricity subsidies and a one-year rent exemption for public-housing tenants.

Ever since 2008, the Macanese Government has been handing out cash to its people on an annual basis, sometimes even twice a year and this is already the seventh time. Not only is it more generous each time, but more thoughtful. Short-term poverty-relief measures and long-term commitments are combined to truly return the wealth to the people, allowing them to live and work in peace and contentment. The situation of each city is different, so Hong Kong may not be able to imitate Macau and afford such openhanded giveaways every year. It is, however, quite baffling why Hong Kong cannot even accomplish a tiny task satisfactorily, and its simple cash-handout efforts led to so many complaints in return. Now that the approval of the Old Age Living Allowance is at a stalemate as the Hong Kong Government insists on setting up an asset declaration system and the Legislative Councillors try to stop it by filibustering. As the executive and the legislature are bogged down in an endless wrestle, hundreds of thousands of elders are victimized.

Under the same sky, there are different stories. With the same “one country, two systems” and “a high degree of autonomy”, why is Macau so successful and Hong Kong so full of problems? This question indeed calls for Hong Kong people’s soul-searching and the Central Government’s review.

重要生字

return the wealth to the people 還富於民

live and work in peace and contentment 安居樂業

filibuster 拉布