基本法

請問大家一些有關基本法的問題

1. 理論上,非華人能否有資格選特首?

又,實際上是否可行?

2. 基本法中提到'中國公民'一詞,究竟指哪些人?

是否即是持有中國國籍?

謝謝

Where is our dream? Hong Kong's Policy Address 2009

I didn't get a chance to read the new policy address in its entirety, and  I certainly don't expect it to answer all my questions about the future of Hong Kong. My main concerns are the competitiveness of our young people and the sustainability of the Hong Kong's health care system. These issues don't seem very urgent today, but will come to haunt us all in a few decades' time, as our society is aging and our young people are struggling to find their own paths in life.

But, as expected, except for the proposed project  to preserve the cultural legacy of the Central district, the rest of the policy address lacks a clear direction about our education and health care system. We are told that we will resume public consultation for the healthcare financing reform sometime next year. It's hard to say if the reform will gain momentum or not. In the area of education reform, the government promised to set aside two pieces of land for use in building private universities. But most of us know that the most urgent thing now is to create more and better jobs for our kids. Not just jobs that will pay them a few thousands a month for delivering fast foods ........

Honestly, I really want our government to show us steps to encourage our kids to be daring enough to say that their dream is not to be a billionaire, but to be a Nobel laureate. (But then, such kids would be considered delusional by some!) Can Hong Kong people tolerate dreamers? Most of us have come to accept that Hong Kong is only good at finance, banking, retailing, providing services, etc..... 

It's not to say that Hong Kong people lack creativity. We are full of creative people, as is testified by the 'Bowtie keep(s) your election promise' incident. Both sides are very creative in explaining why the other side is not using the English language correctly. Well.... entertaining as it is, it's not the kind of creativity I have in mind.

I write, therefore, I am

My busy work schedule has consumed my creative energy .....  and my wife is complaining about it all the time. To her, I have been wasting my time on something that doesn't pay much, both in terms of monetary and spiritual reward. And I am not that young any more. How many years can I last doing such kind of work and not feel burnt out.

I know she has a point, but I am not giving up Hong Kong so soon. I know life in Hong Kong is a struggle, but I can't turn away from it if I want to conquer it and understand it in its full complexity. So many intellectuals and professors are claiming to know our society, and they try to teach our children about how it works. However, I think not all of them truly know what other people are experiencing. The harsh reality of Hong Kong resists analysis. No theory or explanation can alleviate the anxiety and even anger of people who are treated as cheap labor. The inhuman conditions in the Hong Kong working environment (with its long hours and low pay) is a reality hard to grasp by people who grew up in a privileged environment. Now, even some privileged people are experiencing this -- some university fresh grads can't even find a decent job to sustain an independent life.

Now, at least, I come to know more about such a harsh reality .... through sharing the burden of other 'laborers'.

To me, writing is still very power stuff. I still believe in it. But it's no longer very glamorous. (I don't write for fame) It's not something you can call 'sexy' or even an intellectual pursuit. It's labor intensive, spiritually speaking. More importantly, it's a way to stay awake, alive, and real. It's a river of ethereal dreams comprising of sweat and tears......

I write, therefore, I am.

中日關係網新作20090830

Sunday, August 30, 2009

「中日關係」網新作20090817

Monday, August 17, 2009

作為「非歷史事件」的靖國神社參拜

2009年8月15日是一個星期六，查看天氣報告，那天東京天氣頗炎熱，氣溫攝氏28度，有雲。

我不能確定我讀到的天氣報告是否準確。畢竟，預測只是預測，而那天我並不在東京。

但我對那天的天氣忽然有點好奇起來。如果你問我為甚麼，那麼，我更加肯定我的想法．．．2009年8月15日，對很多中國人來說也許只是一個非常普通的一天，在中日關係史上，它暫時或可被歸類為「非歷史事件」，就是英語的non-event。

以後呢？我不敢肯定。

對於有留意日本新聞的人來說，8月份最轟動的日本新聞反而是女藝人酒井法子吸毒事件。她的丈夫於8月3日凌晨因藏毒被捕，酒井本人隨即失蹤，直到8日自首，承認吸毒。

又或者，對於不少香港年青人來說，8月份最能代表「日本」的事件是一年一度的「香港動漫電玩節」（7月31日-8月4日）。在展覽場館，很多人深深受到anime和manga世界的感動，那裏有他們童年的很多記憶．．．

那麼，8月15日呢？它似乎應該也是很重要的一天，64年前，很多日本人第一次聽到日本天皇的聲音，在電台廣播中，天皇宣佈日本無條件投降，中國8年抗日戰爭終於完結。

64年後，兩位日本前首相小泉純一郎和安倍晉三特意安排這天進入靖國神社參拜，為二次世界大戰為日本國捐軀的士兵禱告。在中國人的地方，已經很少人會因為他們的行為而花氣力大聲疾呼了。

中國人有中國人所關心的事情﹕台灣8月8日遭遇罕見的強力台風，造成半個台灣成為一片澤國，死傷無數．．．

關心血濃於水的事情自然不過。

64年前中日關係的那一段歷史，現在不再輕易牽動我們的神經．．．起碼不是今年的8月。

對我來說，我希望這代表我們已經開始學會用客觀的態度了解中日關係的歷史。

現在，我們其實應該把目光放到8月30日、日本舉行大選的那一天。自民黨的麻生首相會下台嗎？最大在野黨民主黨能奪取政權嗎？該黨總裁鳩山由紀夫會成為下一任首相嗎？

最重要的是，日本社會已經準備好接受兩黨輪替執政的時代嗎？

對於關心中日關係的我來說，我覺得2009年的8月應該不會只是一個「非歷史事件」，但是，我希望這個8月之所以重要，不再是因為有日本前領導人再次參拜靖國神社。