2013-06-13
Source: http://news.hkheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=241728§ion_name=wtt&kw=126
Health Secretary Ko Wing-man has come under fire for saying there is nothing wrong with giving a doctor from the health department a year's paid leave to study as a barrister. I agree with Dr Ko. There is nothing wrong with paying Dr Sarah Choi Mei-yee, the assistant director of health, a year's salary of $1.6 million, even though she will not be working while she studies law. I can't understand why everyone is kicking up a stink. There is nothing wrong with a doctor at the health department studying to be a barrister. Other government departments should also give their staff paid leave to study.
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or example, when Timothy Tong Hin-ming was the ICAC commissioner he should have given a senior official a year's paid leave to study as a sommelier (wine expert) in France. Tong has come under fire for spending a huge amount of public money on wine to entertain guests. If the ICAC had a sommelier, Tong could have argued that the wines the ICAC bought were a good investment since a sommelier had been in charge of buying them. If he still came under fire, he could have blamed the sommelier for buying too much wine.
Security Secretary Lai Tung-kwok came under fire for asking young ladies not to drink too much alcohol if they want to avoid being raped. But he didn't say how much alcohol is too much. He should give a senior official a year's paid leave to study exactly how much alcohol would put a young lady at risk of being raped. It is also important to study if old ladies are allowed to drink more and still avoid being raped. To come under fire means to be shot at with a gun or other weapon. Soldiers fighting in a war come under fire. But the expression also means to be criticized. To kick up a stink means to complain angrily. To be on paid leave means to be away from work but still getting paid. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying should go on paid leave for one year to study how to dodge (avoid) bananas thrown by Longhair Leung Kwok-hung.
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食衞局局長高永文遭炮轟（come under fire），事緣有衞生署醫生獲批一年有薪假期（paid leave），進修考取大律師資格，他竟說沒有問題。我是認同高醫生的。衞生署助理署長蔡美儀醫生獲支年薪一百六十萬，根本沒有問題，即使她攻讀法律期間不會工作。我不明白為何人人都在大吵大鬧（kicking up a stink）。衞生局醫生進修當律師，完全沒有問題啊！其他政府部門也該給員工有薪假期（paid leave）去進修。
例如，當湯顯明還是廉政專員時，他就應當給予高層員工一年有薪假期（paid leave），去法國讀書當品酒師（sommelier）。湯顯明花費大筆公帑買酒待客，招致輿論責難（come under fire）。要是廉署有個品酒師（sommelier），湯就可反駁說廉署所買的酒都是上等投資，因為有品酒師（sommelier）專責買酒。要是他仍然遭受指責（came under fire），他就可以責怪品酒師（sommelier）買得太多酒了。
保安局局長黎棟國同樣備受批評（came under fire），因為他呼籲年輕女士要是不想被姦，就別喝太多酒。他可沒有說明喝多少酒才算是喝得太多。他應該讓高層員工一年有薪假期（paid leave），鑽研令年輕女士會冒被姦風險的確切酒量是多少。另外，是否容許老婦多喝一點，卻仍可避免被姦，這樣的研究也是非常重要的。To come under fire是指被槍炮或其他武器攻擊，上戰場的士兵就是come under fire，但這個習語也解作被批評。To kick up a stink即是憤怒地抗議。Paid leave是有薪假期。特首梁振英就該放一年有薪假期（paid leave）去讀讀如何閃開（dodge）長毛梁國雄飛擲的香蕉。mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧