2020年1月22日,年廿八,洗邋遢,但
香港出現首宗武漢肺炎確診個案,由高鐵入境。
22 January 2020 is a day for massive cleaning in the lunar calendar, but we have
the first confirmed Wuhan pneumonia case in Hong Kong, thanks to the Express Rail Link.
十年前,高鐵撥款只審議了三天就通過,興建這全面損害香港利益的殖民基建,破壞香港憲制、公共財務、都市規劃、人口政策、農業、公共行政、貿易。
10 years ago, it took only 3 days of deliberation at the LegCo to approve the appropriation bill for this Express Rail Link, a CCP-colonisation infrastructure that has undermined Hong Kong's constitution, public finance, urban planning, population policy, agriculture, public administration and trading.
當時財務委員會主席,
訂立1月16日為表決死線,不允許延長會議;同時逐步限制議員發言(由四分鐘到三分鐘,最後限在兩分鐘),並否決社民連議員提出的逾卅項動議修訂。
The chairperson of the Finance Committee
set January 16 as the voting deadline, refused to extend the meeting time and, at the same time, reduced legislators' speaking time (from 4 minutes to 3 and then to 2 minutes) and rejected over 30 motions proposed by legislators of the League of Social Democrats.
這個主席,不是哪個傳統建制派猛將,乃民主黨劉慧卿;港幣699億,剪布通過,正是劉慧卿。翌日,《蘋果日報》塗脂抺粉,為泛民狡辯,留住支持者。劉慧卿獨斷專橫,強行表決,導致禍港高鐵倉卒通過,《蘋果日報》竟起題
〈秉公辦事 劉慧卿變夾心人〉[2]。
This chairperson was none other than Emily Lau Wai-hing from the Democratic Party. Not some traditional pro-establishment hotshot, but Emily Lau. It was her who cut short a filibuster to pass an appropriation bill of HK$69.9 billion. The next day, Apple Daily made preferential defence for the pan-democrats by titling the news as
"Emily Lau Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place for Being Impartial" when her autocratic way of forcing a vote was what caused the passing of the bill of the detrimental Express Rail Link project.
同時,泛民暗中配合劉慧卿訂下的死線,推說「
手頭上的提問越來越少」,故放棄提問。翌日《蘋果日報》起題
〈難挽敗局 泛民無奈棄拉布〉,又再為他們說項,擺出一副可憐相。
At the same time, the pan-democrats worked sneakily in line with Emily Lau's arbitrary deadline by giving up raising further questions on the pretext of having "
fewer and fewer questions left in hand". The next day, Apple Daily helped explain this away by preferentially titling the news as
"Helpless Pan-dems Giving Up Filibuster in the Face of Doomed Outcome", defending the pan-democrats and painting them as dejected and helpless fighters.
「認為手頭上的提問愈來愈少」?當時在立法會外正在舉行反高鐵集會,其中有民間團體、專業團體、在場市民,不斷準備問題,再發電郵予一眾泛民議員,給他們提供彈藥。據統籌人之一謝冠東
回憶,他們準備了很多問題,卻不見議員發問,而泛民也沒有積極輪候等待發言。
Having "fewer and fewer questions left in hand"? A protest was under way at the time, with concern groups, professional groups and members of the public gathering right outside the LegCo building, working hard to provide ammunition for the pan-dem lawmakers in the building by penning and emailing them endless questions for filibustering. As
recalled by one of the protest organiser Tse Kwun-tong, a lot of questions had been prepared but none were seen raised during the LegoCo meeting. The Pan-dem lawmakers were not exactly active in waiting for their round of speech, either.
泛民主派,一邊坐擁主席之位,一邊位列議員座席;這邊剪布,那邊說「無問題我返出去先」。《蘋果日報》還引述泛民議員的說話︰「
唔理我哋幾有道理,保皇派有三十幾票喺手,撥款申請一定過到。」[3]
Apparently, the pan-democrats were straddling both sides: assuming the chairperson's role and cutting short a filibuster on the one hand, and taking the seats on the floor and remarking "I'll see myself out for the time being" on the other. Apple Daily even quoted the pan-democrats:
"Whatever we say, whatever points we make, the bill is going to pass because the pro-establishment side holds over 30 votes in their hands."
泛民主派一再使出迂迴議事詭計,假扮抗爭,準時輸掉表決;然後《蘋果日報》做和事佬,說泛民如何如何無奈,怎樣怎樣委屈。這些話聽多了,市民唯唯諾諾,長嗟短嘆,只恨有功能組別礙事,害我泛民有心殺賊無力回天,於是便含淚投票,嗚呼哀哉。
The pan-dems has been playing by the same old trick over and over again: first pretending to fight for the public and then precisely losing a vote when the time comes. Apple Daily would then show up as the peacemaker and would paint the pan-dems as the poor and helpless washed-down fighters. Told long and repeatedly enough, the public would identify with the story of grievance and fall into the same dejected state where they would only blame the dysfunctional Functional Constituencies for putting the pan-dems in insurmountable scenarios and would continue to vote for the pan-dems with unwilling tears in their eyes and some 'Oh alas, poor us!'
你有你卑賤市民含淚投票,我有我泛民主派笑嘻嘻幹你娘。
Hong Kong is a world where the powerless public votes for the pan-dems with regretful tears locked in their eyes and the pan-dems with power in hand continue to screw you up with a smile on their faces.
高鐵撥款通過,泛民主派會很無奈?2008年6月4日,工務小組委員會審議「
廣深港高速鐵路香港段 - 設計及地盤勘測工作」,即是高鐵的前期研究,經費合共廿幾億港幣。西九總站的設計,出自這次撥款;路線研究,也是出自這次撥款;默許採用大陸產列車,亦出自這次撥款!當時曾蔭權已在大陸宣佈,推翻早前行政會議決議,放棄高鐵與西鐵共用路軌、使用專用通道之方案,即是說,會購買大陸生產的高鐵車廂。可是在席議員,無一質問,照單全收。
Do you honestly believe the pan-dems felt helpless and grieved for passing the appropriation bill of the Express Rail Link? On 4 June 2008, the Public Works Committee held
a meeting to approve the preliminary research funding for the design and site investigation of the Hong Kong section of the Express Rail Link, for a sum of over 2 billion. The funding covered the design and planning for the West Kowloon Terminus, research for the route the railway would take, and even the approval for using Chinese-made trains! At the time, Chief Executive Donald Tsang had already made the announcement in China that he would overthrow an earlier resolution by the Executive Council, as he had decided to give up on the idea of having the Express Rail share the same track with West Rail and would instead push for a dedicated track for the Express Rail. This implied that Chinese-made high-speed rail carriages would be procured. Yet, none of the legislators at the meeting raised any questions or objection.
最後,高鐵的前期研究經費廿幾億,會議紀錄只有短短六頁,即輕鬆通過。反對的只有社民連陳偉業一票。支持撥款的,除一眾建制議員,還有公民黨梁家傑、民主黨鄭家富議員。當時鄭家富發言清楚說出,「民主黨支持高速鐵路工程 。」
還有一人投下贊成票 - 就是劉慧卿。
Lastly, the minutes of the meeting, during which a $2 billion bill was passed without a hitch, were only 6 pages long. The only lawmaker who opposed the funding was Albert Chan Wai-yip of the League of Social Democrats. Those in support of the appropriation bill, aside from those in the pro-establishment camp, included Alan Leong Kah-kit of the Civic Party and Andrew Cheng Kar-foo of the Democratic Party. Andrew Cheng even made it clear in his speech: "The Democratic Party supports the construction of the Express Rail Link."
Another person who also voted in favour of the bill was Emily Lau.