T he Jockey Club charges about $100,000, plus an additional charge of $20,000, to cater to (serve food and drink to) 100 people at a dinner gathering. But Taipan said the club has agreed to give Legco a discounted price of about $50,000. If Taipan's facts are accurate, Legco has done a shameful thing in accepting this favor (favour in British English). Legco has a duty to monitor (keep a close watch on) the Jockey Club since it is the only club that has government permission to offer gambling services in Hong Kong. How can Legco properly or independently monitor the club now that it has accepted the favor of a big discount for catering services?
Many legislative councillors have accused the former chief executive, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, of accepting special favors from rich people. They have also angrily criticized the former ICAC commissioner, Timothy Tong Hin-ming, of wasting public money on expensive wine and food. Yet they themselves have now accepted a special favor from the Jockey Club. Even the discounted price of $50,000 for 100 people means $500 per person. That is still too expensive when Hong Kong has over one million poor people, many of whom live in tiny subdivided flats. Legislative councillors have criticized the government for failing to solve Hong Kong's poverty problem yet they are spending $500 per person at official gatherings. It is the height of hypocrisy, which means the highest or worst kind of hypocrisy.
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大班鄭經翰上星期所寫的，令我很驚訝（dumbfounded）。他寫道，賽馬會現在會為立法會的官方午膳及晚宴提供餐飲服務（catering services）。提供catering services即是在聚會中供應飲食。賽馬會是間高檔（upscale）的會所，因此它的餐飲服務（catering services）也收得很貴。
Upscale這個字用以形容昂貴或專為有錢人而設的物品。例如，中環有不少高檔次（upscale）的名牌店舖，專為迎合（cater to）富有的內地人。在這裏，cater to解作迎合某一群人的特定需要。富有的內地人渴求名牌，中環的高檔（upscale）商店便賣名牌。
賽馬會提供餐飲予（cater to）百人晚宴，大約索價十萬，另加二萬元附加費，但大班說馬會願意給立法會一個五萬元的節扣優惠。要是大班所言屬實，立法會接受這個恩惠（favor，英式英語為favour）就真是太可恥了。立法會有責任要監察（monitor）賽馬會，因為它是香港唯一獲政府許可提供博彩娛樂的機構。試問立法會現在接受了餐飲服務（catering services）的特大優惠，又如何可以恰當而獨立地監察（monitor）馬會﹖
許多立法會議員都曾指控前特首曾蔭權接受富商的特別待遇。他們也曾憤怒地批評前廉政專員湯顯明，在名酒與食物上揮霍公帑。可是，他們自己現在卻接受馬會給予的優待，即使以一百人計，只收特價五萬元，每人也要五百元。這也未免太昂貴了，想想香港有超過一百萬的窮人，許多也住在狹小的劏房內。立法會議員批評政府無法解決香港的貧窮問題，但他們的官方聚會卻花上五百元一個人。這簡直是偽善的極致（height of hypocrisy）。
mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻
Source: http://news.hkheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=258464§ion_name=wtt&kw=126