港奧運火炬手名單 被轟政治分贓

港協暨奧委會昨公布120名本港奧運火炬手名單中，只有不足一半是運動員，其餘為商界、親政府人士，但完全無基層及民主派的代表。有學者批評，名單已演變為「世紀政治大分贓」.

Multinational corporations have also sent representatives as have major local developers Cheung Kong, Sun Hung Kai and Henderson. Tsang Hinchi (曾宪梓) also one of them and the oldest at 74.

遴選黑箱作業酬庸味濃 火炬手名單未能團結社會 (明報) 04月 30日 星期三 05:05AM

【明報專訊】港協暨奧委會公布本港120名火炬手名單，運動員未成為當然主角，其他成為火炬手的知名人士，酬庸意味甚濃，而整個遴選過程缺乏透明度，令人質疑其中是否存在私相授受情。因此，

我們認為這樣一份火炬手名單，絕非香港社會的縮影，未能符合社會的期望；當局如果真的想在香港建構和諧社會，必須深切反省今次的做法。

這樣的名單不是社會的縮影

運動員是奧運 會 的主角，但是現代奧運甚至其他體育活動，需要投入龐大人力物力，需要縝密的組織，需要廣泛的社會支持等，才有可能成功主辦和推動發展；而奧運火炬作為奧運 會的重要象徵，在每一個地方傳送時，都是頭等大事，備受當地各階層人士關注，因此火炬手隊伍並非運動員獨家專利，完全可以理解，問題只是火炬手隊伍透過什 麼程序產生，使之能夠確切體現整體社會的多元實質。

據知這次遴選火炬手，有所謂「火炬手遴選委員會」之設，但是委員會成員是哪些人，完全諱莫如深，只知道「來自體育、教育、藝術、傳播、馬術公司及賽馬會 等界別人士」，至於如何組成？怎樣運作？外界完全不知道。委員會經過「秘密運作」之後，昨日公布了120名的火炬手名單，但是運動員為何只佔53個名額（包括港協、贊助商、北京 奧組委三方提名）？為何沒有公開提名？港協暨奧委會會長霍震霆 並無交代，只說「火炬手名單不止有體育界代表，亦來自不同界別，可以說是社會的縮影」。

火炬手名單真的是香港社會的縮影？可以代表香港整體社會？從兩個層面而言，霍震霆這個說法，並不成立。

首先是名單中的各界社會人士，其中可列為地區人士的（包括區議員和社團成員），盡皆親政府的建制派人士，一泷泛民主派 中人，一個也沒有。在政治光譜中，存在有各式取態不同的人，火炬手隊伍完全排拒泛民，充分說明「親疏有別」，社會的縮影起碼少了這一塊，無助於構建和諧社會。

其次是名單中有富豪或富豪第二代，他們對社會的貢獻，有目共 睹，不能抹煞，但是放在社會的縮影來檢驗，火炬手既然有富豪，也應該有弱勢社群人士。香港社會不乏勵志的動人事舻，例如一度爭取安樂死的斌仔（鄧紹斌）， 在社會人士關懷下，現在積極面對人生，火炬手如果有斌仔入選，不但是對他努力的肯定，對於香港整體社會也是很大的鼓舞。現在火炬手名單未見弱勢社群，忽視 了弱勢社群的存在，如何可以說此乃社會的縮影？

因此，就政治光譜、代表貧富的富豪和弱勢社群而言，火炬手名單都有所欠缺，不能說成是社會的縮影。如果這樣的名單硬要說成是社會的縮影，那只是個別人士，或是特定利益團體的社會的縮影而已。

車菊紅張偉良竟然榜上無名

至於成為火炬手的運動員，是多是少，見仁見智，但是過去運動員 為香港拼搏所取得的成就，他們大量付出，實質回報卻可憐地微薄，參與傳送奧運火炬，是對他們的最大補償，也是藉此表揚他們的最好機會，從這個角度看，應該 讓更多曾經為香港爭光的運動員成為火炬手，作為社會對他們的回報。以此而言，運動員佔火炬手的比例，能夠愈高當然愈好。

例如香港體育學院的網頁，有「金牌運動員點將錄」專頁，表揚曾 經為香港爭光的運動員，向他們致敬，並藉此策勵後起之秀。這個網頁列出了43名香港金牌運動員，除了1998年奪得亞運保齡球金牌的許長國已經因病逝世以 外，名單上還有42人，今次有幸成為火炬手的只有6人，其他36人之中，包括1986年為香港奪得首面亞運金牌的車菊紅、1996和1998年先後揚威傷 殘人士奧運會和世界輪椅劍擊賽的張偉良，當日他們兩人的成就，全港市民與有榮焉，現在都無緣傳送火炬，對他們而言，毋寧是個人的遺憾，而對香港社會而言， 對他們或許是一份虧欠。

奧運火炬手名單最令人詬病之處，是整個過程完全無透明度，外界 無從知道火炬手是怎樣挑選出來的，這種黑箱作業運作，必然誘發私相授受之思。事實上，名單在有話語權人物操控下，出現向有權有勢的人傾斜的痕舻，甚為明 顯。奧運本來是一個很好地讓社會緊密團結的機會，但是火炬手名單卻與此背道而馳，不但未能達到團結社會的目標，更不幸地起覑進一步撕裂社會的效果，確實令 人十分遺憾。

歡迎回應

The list of torchbearers in Hong Kong for the Beijing Olympic Games is a very obvious and apparent show of who's in charge and are favoured in Hong Kong (by the HK gov't and Beijing): the wealthy, businessmen, pro-Beijing politicians and etc...

after Guangxi

After the trip to Guangxi with my friends, I have a
new appreciation for China and Chinese.

A lot of people complain about the chaotic traffic
condition. Yes, it is problematic, yet I don't think
people should be too critical of it. China is still a
country in development. Not everybody in China can
afford a standardize vehicle. That's why we see
anything from manpowered cart, tricycle, refitted
motorcycle, cattle, cars and truck sharing the same
road. As for the narrow and potholes-filled roads in
the countryside, aside from the corruption problems,
we have to consider that China (especially rural
China) is at a rather early development stage. We
can't really expect LA sized 6 lanes freeway for
rural China. Visitors kind of have to accept the
current condition of China. Vans and cars has to
overtake another slower vehicle on narrow one lane
freeway, which is considered very dangerous, because
those drivers just can't follow a cattle cart for
the whole trip.

I believe crossing the road is as dangerous in China
as in Hong Kong where there's no traffic light.
Chinese drivers actually slow down or change lane for
pedestrians whereas most Hong Kong drivers do not. In
Guangxi, I find the drivers there to be much more
polite than their Hong Kong counterpart. Hong Kong
drivers would occasionally give a mouthful of
profanity and excessive honking to careless
pedestrian. Just think about many people got run over
by buses, taxi and minibuses in Hong Kong recently.
Hong Kong drivers have a low regard to human values
and our legal system accommodate that thinking. 

Another Day on the MTR

I was in a subway train and it was as crowded as usual, and I felt a force pushing my backpack. I tried turning my head around wondering and I decided to ignore it but then it came again a few times. Somebody was just being really annoying. Then there was just a push. So I asked who’s pushing. The guy reading the paper next to me said my backpack was in his way. I said oh, sorry and after I collected myself, I told him, “Mr., I think that instead of pushing, it would be better for you to tell me that my backpack is in your way, then I could’ve put it on the ground. It’s just not polite to push.” I said it really nicely, no in anger, enough though I felt that I was being disrespected. I didn’t use “wei,” I tried to not get a reaction but just to get my point across, that he shouldn’t be push. He looked pissed. His eyes were of hatred. He told me to stop talking and that I was bumping myself into the train first. I was freaking amazed at this guy. This is the MTR. We are being sandwiched everyday; people rush into the train every single day especially during peak hours. There were times when I couldn’t even move my arms. Several people probably bumped him as they were rushing into the train and it just happened that I was one of them and with my backpack facing him. He shouldn’t be venting at my backpack. I told him that he shouldn’t be complaining, at least you had space to read your newspaper. He came back and said something about a magazine, so I figured that he was trying to correct me that he wasn’t reading a newspaper but a magazine. He said something something and then kid (referring to me). “What did you say?” I asked but he disappearing into the other side of the subway car. It was probably good that I didn’t understand him. I was a bit surprise that he understood everything I said.

He should know about condition at MTR. He was several years older in his 30s and obviously takes the subway from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. I have only been doing this for 4 months and I never complained and push other people about being bumped, pushed or with someone’s bag pushing against me. I actually preferred to be pressed against handbag, duffle bag, and backpack then against somebody. There were times when I felt I was being violated. The worst is when you can feel someone’s private being pressed against your butt or thigh or anywhere. It just doesn’t feel good. But you don’t push them; you know that they don’t enjoy it (unless they are super perverted in the most wicked way, humm, actually, that explains why many women prefer bus over the subway). I was second in line and I was being pushed. I remember turning around wondering who was pushing so hard, and this small woman was behind me. There’s no anger. Someone behind her was probably pushing her as well. I actually like being pushed into the train because it just isn’t me. The rush/push into the subway car means that someone behind me really and desperately wanted to get on the subway, and the good thing is, it made sure that whoever in front is going to get in, and today, it was me who was near the front. The draw back is that you get sandwiched, but I know that everybody behind me was being sandwiched too, so, it’s not a big deal. There is little if any personal space at all. I think people in the subway car at peak hours get more body contact then they get with their dates.

Expatriates in Hong Kong

I think this is a space where I can stretch out more a bit in talking about life here in Hong Kong as a Chinese-Australian-American.

Expat mentality. Many expatriates have an unhealthy mindset that almost everything in Hong Kong is inferior to what they have back home. The exception would be the great transport system and banking system of Hong Kong. It actually the same mentality that Chinese immigrants have when they move to Southern California. Many of these Chinese immigrants would complain about the food, fashion, lack of public transport system, expensive cost of living an etc… That sentiment that the Chinese immigrants have usually start to gradually wear out as they get used to their new way of living while discovering the joy (or benefits) of some of the changes.

The difference here is that many of the expatriates stay long enough in Hong Kong to get use to Hong Kong, and they don’t blend into the mainstream society. They might go see a Cantopop concert and go 'dim sum' every now and then, but most of them are not going to start eating “tea house” everyday for lunch. They can afford not to. And the community they surround themselves with other expatriates.

I have heard that it's hard for expatriates to be at the 'same' level with Hong Kongers and some even blamed the locals for their frustration. I think to a certain point it's true, yet there are only so much you can blame the locals for. Yes, locals are going to behave differently around a 'foreigner.' That's very natural. Take a Chinese guy to Iowa and I am pretty sure most people there are going to treat him a little bit different. We all act differently to different people. We all have our cliches and bias.