又中又英｜Cracking the whip

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu promised tougher fire safety laws after Legislative Councillors Michael Tien Puk-sun, Tony Tse Wai-chuen, and Vincent Cheng Wing-shun said Hong Kong’s current laws were outdated. The government should have updated the law long ago, but better late than never. The three legislators were right on the money in demanding tougher laws. I said in a recent column the government has failed to safeguard multi-storey buildings erected in the 1960s and 1970s. The New Lucky House fire in Jordan that killed five people on April 10 may have been prevented if the government had modernized the laws.

The three legislators must now force the government’s hand by cracking the whip. To be right on the money means to be completely right. To force someone’s hand means to make that person act sooner or make someone do something the person doesn’t want to do. To crack your whip means to use your authority to make someone work harder or to do things more efficiently. I know Tien Puk-sun well. He knows how to crack the whip. Media reports said after the fire that the owners of the 60-year-old New Lucky House had ignored a fire safety order issued in 2008. The safety order by the Buildings Department required the owners’ corporation to improve the building’s fire safety.

Owners hired consulting companies in 2015 and 2020 to handle the safety orders. The Buildings Department sent reminder letters, but the owners did nothing for 16 years. Fire officials said that could have partly caused the tragedy. The Buildings Department should have taken tough action to enforce the safety order instead of just sending reminder letters.

当立法会议员田北辰、谢伟铨和郑泳舜指出，香港现行的消防安全条例已经过时后，行政长官李家超承诺，会修订更严厉的法例。政府好应在很久以前就更新法例，不过迟到总比不做的好。三位立法会议员要求更严厉的法例，是完全正确的（right on the money）。我在最近的专栏文章中亦指出，政府未能保障那些建于一九六零及七零年代的多层楼宇。要是政府之前就将法例现代化，四月十日佐敦华丰大厦导致五人丧生的火灾便大可以避免。

三位立法会议员现在必须鞭策（cracking the whip）政府，迫使其采取行动（force the government’s hand）。To be right on the money是指完全正确。To force someone’s hand是迫使某人加快步伐去做某事，又或令某人去做一样他原本不想做的事。To crack your whip是把鞭子甩得劈啪响，意即运用你的权力去使某人做得勤快些，或做得更有效率。我熟悉田北辰，他知道如何施威（crack the whip）。传媒在火灾后报道指，这栋有六十年楼龄的华丰大厦业主们，忽视一个二零零八年发出的消防安全指示。那个由屋宇署发出的消防安全指示，要求业主立案法团改善大厦的消防安全措施。

业主们于二零一五及二零二零年聘请了顾问公司去处理相关的安全指示。屋宇署亦发出过劝喻信，但业主们十六年来却甚么也没做。消防官员指，这或是导致惨剧发生的部分因由。屋宇署理应采取更严厉的行动去强制实施消防指示，而非只是发发劝喻信。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻