H ong Kong officials are doing a terrible (awful, very bad) job compared to officials in Singapore. Even though Hong Kong officials have high salaries, they rarely (seldom) listen to the views of the citizens. Hong Kong people can shout until they are blue in the face but officials rarely listen. One example is the growing number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong. Last year, 47.2 million mainlanders visited Hong Kong. They made the lives of residents in areas such as Sheung Shui and Tuen Mun a living hell. Many residents complained until they were blue in the face but officials ignored their complaints. Last week, the media reported that Tuen Mun residents now have to line up for an hour to get on buses because mainland visitors with large suitcases regularly take up all the bus space.
Tuen Mun has become a living hell for residents but government officials don’t care. The expression “living hell” means a very unpleasant place to be in. If you shout until you are blue in the face, it means you are wasting your time even if you shout very loud because no one will listen. Tuen Mun and Sheung Shui have become a living hell for residents but government officials don’t care even if you shout until you are blue in the face because they believe mainland tourism is good for Hong Kong’s economy. They also don’t care because they have government cars with drivers and live in expensive areas which are not a living hell.
香港政府官員的薪酬是全球第二高的，最高的是新加坡官員的薪酬。香港的官員值得領這麼高的人工嗎？我可不認同了。新加坡的官員值得領高薪，因為他們有好好的服務人民。空氣並不污濁，人們住在寬敞（spacious）的公共房屋，貧困率很低。在香港，空氣很髒（filthy），人們必須等待多年才能住到公屋，許多家庭住在細小（tiny）的劏房，更有一百萬人活於貧窮線以下。
相比新加坡的官員，香港官員辦事簡直糟透（terrible）了。雖然香港官員領着高酬厚祿，他們卻鮮有（rarely）聆聽市民的意見。香港人呼喊直至臉色發青（blue in the face），官員仍然少有（rarely）聆聽。一個例子是一直攀升的內地旅客來港數字。上年總共有四千七百二十萬內地人訪港。他們令上水和屯門等地區的居民生活，活像人間地獄（living hell）一樣。許多居民投訴至臉色發青（blue in the face），官員仍是置若罔聞。上星期有傳媒報道，屯門居民現在排隊上巴士也要用上一個小時，因為提着大型行李的內地旅客長期佔用所有的巴士空間。
屯門對於居民來說，已經儼如一個人間地獄（living hell），可是政府官員卻置之不理。Living hell是指一個非常不舒適的地方。若你呼喊至 blue in the face，就是即使你喊得聲嘶力竭也是白費時間的，因為根本無人理會。屯門和上水成為了居民的人間地獄（living hell），即使你大聲吶喊至臉色發青（blue in the face），政府官員卻仍然充耳不聞，因為他們相信內地自由行對香港經濟是好的。況且他們擁有專用司機駕駛的政府座駕，住在不是人間地獄（living hell）的高尚住宅區裡，自然亦不必理會了。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=318497§ion_name=wtt&kw=126