又中又英｜Gate-crashers

Scandals feed on themselves. That has happened to Witman Hung Wai-man's birthday bash. As a local delegate to China's National People's Congress, he invited numerous guests to his birthday bash at a restaurant, including top government officials and Legislative Council members. Two confirmed coronavirus-infected people attended the party. Before I discuss this scandal I will keep my promise to explain why I drank wine with lunch during my Christmas trip to San Diego, California. I only drink alcohol in the evening but while in San Diego I went to a town called San Clemente. It has a beautiful restaurant with outside seating facing the Pacific Ocean.

My relative and I went there on a sunny day for lunch at a table overlooking the ocean. It had a pleasant feel, unlike the frigid (very cold) weather of New York City where I live. We relaxed with alcoholic drinks to watch the ocean waves. My tuna sandwich was so big I took half home. You can see my sandwich and the restaurant on Popnews. I will now return to the scandal of Hung Wai-man's birthday bash. The expression “feed on itself” means to grow bigger as details of the scandal emerge. A birthday bash is a very big birthday party. The media at first reported about 170 attended the birthday bash.

But over 200 attended, including gate-crashers, which means uninvited guests. An invited guest and her gate-crashing friend who arrived at 9.30 have both tested positive. Guests who arrived or stayed at the party after 9.30, including top government officials and legislators, have been sent to Penny's Bay for quarantine. Pro-establishment people blame Cathay flight attendants for bringing Omicron to Hong Kong by not following quarantine rules. But two wrongs don't make a right, which means it is unacceptable to do something wrong because someone else has done it. Government officials ignored advice to not attend large gatherings. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor demanded the Cathay chairman take responsibility for the behavior of Cathay staff but refused to apologize for the behavior of officials. She and her officials are unqualified leaders.
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丑闻会自行膨胀，愈演愈烈（feed on themselves）——这就是洪为民生日盛会（birthday bash）所发生的情况。身为港区全国人大代表，洪邀请了许多嘉宾到他在餐厅举办的生日盛会（birthday bash），当中包括政府高官与立法会议员。两名后来确诊感染新冠肺炎的人士亦出席了派对。在讨论这宗丑闻之前，我会信守承诺，解释一下我去加州圣地牙哥度圣诞期间，怎么会在午膳时喝起酒来。我一般只会在傍晚时分喝酒，但我在圣地牙哥时，去了一个小镇名圣克莱门特，它有一间美丽的餐厅，设有面向太平洋的露天雅座。

我和亲戚在晴朗的一天到那餐厅，坐在能眺望大海的座位上共进午餐。那儿感觉舒适宜人，不像我住的纽约市那般天气寒冷（frigid）。我们喝酒放松心情，静看海浪翻腾。我的吞拿鱼三文治大得要打包一半回家。你可以在Popnews上看我那三文治和餐厅的相片。我现在要回去谈洪为民的生日盛会（birthday bash）了。习语“feed on itself”意即丑闻的细节愈揭愈多，以至丑闻愈闹愈大。A birthday bash就是盛大的生日庆典。传媒起初报道这生日盛会（birthday bash）约有一百七十人出席。

然而事实是有逾二百人出席，包括gate-crashers，即未被邀请而自行入场者。一名受邀宾客和她一位擅自入场（gate-crashing）的朋友，于当晚九时半进场，检测结果双双呈阳性。那些九时半后到场或留至九时半后的宾客，包括政府高官与立法会议员，都被送至竹篙湾接受隔离检疫。建制派人士责备国泰航空的空中服务员并未遵守隔离检疫规定，而将Omicron病毒带来香港。可是， two wrongs don’t make a right，意即不能用别人的过错来掩饰自己的错误；即使别人犯了同样的错，也不代表自己就是对的。政府官员无视不应出席大型聚会的忠告。特首林郑月娥要求国泰主席为国泰员工的行为负责，她自己却拒绝为官员的行为道歉。她和她的官员都是不合格的领袖。
中译：七刻
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Michael Chugani 褚简宁