I Scream

First it was the shoe shiners in Central's Theatre Lane, now it's the humble ice-cream vendor.

Overzealous officers of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department have been harassing licensed hawkers selling ice cream from bicycle-mounted carts, forcing them from high-traffic areas to zones with less foot traffic, thus biting into a prime source of income. Instead of being able to make a profit, these vendors can barely make ends meet.

Why? Because the officers, once again abusing their authority, claim the hawkers are "obstructing foot traffic", which is the same nonsense reason used against the shoe shiners until a public outcry put an end to it. In all my years here I've never heard a single person complain that an ice-cream vendor was a nuisance.

All this reminds me of the disparity between Hong Kong of yesterday and today. Much of what I've studied of old Hong Kong suggests that people worked hard and did what was necessary to survive, with little governmental interference. These days folks performing a useful service can't turn around without a uniform in their face threatening them with a fine.

The Hong Kong government should be ashamed of itself for stealing the opportunity to earn an honest living.

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