In my previous column I said good riddance to MTR chief executive Jay Walder. I am glad I'll see the back of him but furious he will be paid until August next year even though he won't have to do any work. Some news reports said he will receive about HK$20 million. This is unacceptable. The MTR needs to come clean on how much Walder will get. Some people said the MTR has made Walder a scapegoat but that is nonsense. Walder is the boss and must take the blame for all the MTR's problems. The buck stops with him.
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s I explained before, you say "good riddance" when you are happy to see a person you dislike leave. It has a similar meaning to the expression "glad to see the back of him". To "come clean" means to be honest or to tell the truth. To make someone a scapegoat means to make that person take all the blame for others. The expression "the buck stops with you" means you have to take responsibility for things that have gone wrong. If you are the manager of an office where a serious mistake has been made, you must take responsibility even though the mistake was made by someone under you. Your boss can say: "The buck stops with you since you are the manager."
All five new MTR lines under construction have been delayed and since Walder is the highly-paid CEO, the buck must stop with him. As I said in my previous column, I had to wait for four trains at the Kowloon Tong station last week before I could board a train for Shatin. I still get angry when I think about that. Why should I have to wait in a hot and crowded train platform and be late for my appointment when commerce secretary Greg So Kam-leung and transport secretary Anthony Cheung Bing-leung travel in air-conditioned cars with drivers that I, as a taxpayer, must pay for? Please send me an e-mail if you are also angry about the MTR's lousy service.
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在上一篇專欄中，我慶賀（said good riddance）港鐵行政總裁韋達誠離任。我很高興可以送別他（see the back of him），但惱怒他居然甚麼都不用做，仍可支薪至明年八月。有些新聞報道更指他會獲取二千萬。這是不能接受的。港鐵得徹底交代（come clean），到底韋達誠拿到幾多錢。有說港鐵用韋達誠做代罪羔羊（scapegoat），但我認這是一派胡言。韋達誠是港鐵阿頭，理應承擔港鐵所有問題的責任。他實在責無旁貸（The buck stops with him）。
正如之前所說，當你知道某個你不喜歡的人離開，你就會說"good riddance"。它接近習語"glad to see the back of him"。"To come clean" 解作老實答話或和盤托出。"To make someone a scapegoat" 就是令某人成為他人的代罪羔羊。習語 'the buck stops with you" 是指你要為過失負全責。如果你是公司的經理，發生了嚴重錯失，你就得負責，即使那過錯是你下面的人造成的。你的老闆就可以說：「既然你是經理，你就要負全責（The buck stops with you）。」
韋達誠做了高薪行政總裁後，其下五條正在興建的新路線全部延期，他當然是責無旁貸（the buck must stop with him）。正如我在上一篇專欄中寫道，我上星期在九龍塘站乘車往沙田，得等四班車才能上到車。每當想起我還是憤憤不平。為甚麼我要在又熱又逼的月台上等待，令我赴約也遲到，但商務局局長蘇錦樑及運輸局局長張炳良就可享用司機接送的冷氣房車，而我，身為納稅人，必須為他們買單﹖要是你對港鐵的混帳服務也感憤憤不平，儘管傳電郵給我吧。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=294731§ion_name=wtt&kw=126
