Ordinary Gweilo

Observant readers will notice that I have been doing a spring clean of the links on the right-hand side of the page. 

One new addition is Cantopopped, which is an amusing enough take on life in Hong Kong from "Mat B" who admits to living in Tai Po.  From the sound of things, he won't be in Hong Kong for too much longer, so enjoy it whilst it lasts!

Another is Chinadroll from that Norwegian woman who teaches people in Hong Kong how to speak Cantonese.

In yesterday's SCMP, Jake van der Kamp argued that the ICAC is wasting its time investigating fraud in the private sector.  This refers to a recent court case (Ex-Centaline executive admits bribe offers):

A former director and general manager of Centaline Property Agency admitted in District Court yesterday he had offered more than HK$1.68 million in bribes to secure property deals worth HK$300 million.

Chan Ngan-lau, 47, pleaded guilty to four counts of offering advantages to various people between April 2005 and August 2006.

According to the summary of facts, Chan gave HK$1.41 million in bribes to Ho Wai-jon, 51, a general manager of Li & Fung (Trading), as a reward after Ho engaged Centaline as the agent in three industrial building transactions in Kowloon and New Territories, one of which was valued at HK$240 million.

The money was listed as a "referral fee" that was paid to a company Chan owned, Royal Regency Investment. Chan cashed the money and handed it over to Ho.

Chan also made Centaline pay HK$275,000 to an investment company as a "referral fee" which, in fact, was a rebate for a transaction.

Chan pleaded not guilty to three other fraud charges and these were left on the court file.

Jake thinks that this wasn't bribery at all, but something far more mundane (Throwing the book at a minor offence – subscription required):

What we have at issue here is a very common commercial practice. When A [buyer] buys from B [property agency] on C [vendor]'s credit, B [property agent] shows his appreciation to A [buyer] with a gift for steering the business his way. Neither of them mentions it to C [vendor]. It used to be called tea money. We now call it a referral fee. This gift is, of course, invariably straight cash and the sums involved would routinely buy more tea than anyone can drink. What has happened here, you will say, is that C [the vendor] has been cheated and the law has a role to play in upholding C's property rights.

Well, I think I would have a simple question – has this payment been disclosed to all the parties?  In this case that means the vendor, and also the purchaser (Li & Fung).  I think the ICAC website helps:

Ho Wai-jon, 51, former general manager of Li & Fung (Trading) Limited, was convicted of one count of agent accepting an advantage, contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.

The court heard that Ho was assigned by Li & Fung Group in late 2005 to handle the company's property transactions, among which was the purchase of an industrial building on Cheung Sha Wan Road, a deal completed in June 2006 at $240 million.

Ho had accepted $800,000 in bribes from Chan on August 11, 2006 as a reward for engaging Centaline as an agent in the transaction.

It's not clear whether the vendor was aware of the payment, and it is possible that they were, and maybe even that they had no objection.  Jake think that is how things work:

I'm of the opinion, in fact, that in some businesses, particularly property and construction, there is only rarely such a thing as a straight contract with no extra payment under the table.

And very often this money goes to the right people in the transaction. Knowledge of the market can be as valuable as ownership of the asset being traded. If C doesn't know enough of the market and hires A to do his dealing for him then C should not fool himself that A will be satisfied with a wage alone.

By dealing well A has probably saved C far more than the referral fee involved and both know it or, at least, should know it. If C thinks that A does not deal well then he should get another dealer. But stopping referral fees won't get C better deals.

Er, I thought A was the buyer, and B was the property agent?  All this bribery gets very confusing…  I assume Jake means that the vendor is happy because the property agent has found a buyer at an acceptable price, and is not concerned with any money in brown envelopes that may have passed under the table.  Maybe they don't care, and maybe it doesn't do a great deal of harm, but I come back to my question – if it's all legitimate why wasn't everyone made aware of the referral payment?

I think we know the answer to that. 

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Hongkongers seeking information, like-minded friends or simply to vent their spleen are catered to in abundance online. David Wilson compiles a list of the top 20 local websites. Illustration by Steve Yau.

Jun 08, 2008  South China Morning Post

In keeping with the buzz on its streets, Hong Kong has a humming presence on the Web. The city’s digital suburbs have many interesting drawcards – biting satire, an engaging community, investment advice with a twist, even pretty pictures.

Consider the following list of top Hong Kong websites as a public service, saving residents and visitors the hassle of wandering aimlessly around cyberspace. The sites featured below either have high online traffic or content that is engrossing, amusing, daring or that simply makes life easier. Bloggers are heavily represented in this list, thanks partly to volume. Jennifer McLean, a spokeswoman for the blog search engine site Technorati, says the internet hosts 2,000 Hong Kong-tagged English-language blogs.

20. Hong Kong Disneyland (www.hongkongdisneyland.com)
Some detractors call Disneyland “Mauschwitz”, in a nod to the amusement park’s intense aura of order. This site pitches the world’s fifth Disneyland park, which opened in Hong Kong in 2005, as the place where dreams come true in a climate of “infinite fun and non-stop action”. Believers can book their tickets directly through this portal. But beware, the site positively showers the visitor in fairy dust.

19. Mister Bijou (misterbijou.blogspot.com)
Bijou means “jewel” in French. It’s also the name of a gin-based cocktail. The reason for the site’s quaint name must be its quirky content. Mister Bijou is light bedtime reading, or rather, viewing of “a little island in the South China Sea”. This pictorial blog dishes up Hong Kong street-life vignettes, with subjects such as raindrops pinging into puddles.

18. Hong Kong Airport Shuttle (www.hongkongairportshuttle.com)
This no-frills portal may seem an odd choice but some of the best websites are not especially fancy. They just do a vital job well. The shuttle site offers an online reservation service to and from the Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok.

17. Hong Kong Crawler (www.hongkongcrawler.com)
This search engine and business directory portal yields sharper results than simply tapping the search string “Hong Kong” into a generic engine. To focus on a particular island or zip code, enlist the local-search function. If you want to continue mining the local seam, download the Hong Kong Crawler toolbar or widget for free.

16. Discover Hong Kong (www.discoverhongkong.com)
Official tourism guides often amount to marketing exercises that may prompt the reader to shun featured destinations. In contrast, the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s effort is bright, inviting and innovative. Take the food section, which dishes up information on “tea culture” and the city’s reputation as a “gourmet paradise”.

15. Web Wednesday (www.webwednesday.hk)
More than just a hub for tech talk, Web Wednesday serves as a forum for anyone involved in the online social-networking industry. The site is run by the indefatigable Napoleon Biggs, an internet entrepreneur and sinologist. It blends the geeky with the polemic and includes a video clip on nationalism and how the Chinese and outsiders see the Middle Kingdom.

14. Zorpia (www.zorpia.com)
Zorpia is an alternative to social-networking sites such as Friendster and MySpace, and offers free photo sharing and blogging. Although those services are nothing new, the local slant means you can actually meet the people you ping in the real world and befriend them. Let’s face it, who needs digital “friends” in Alaska anyway?

13. Xanga (www.xanga.com)
A rival of Zorpia, Xanga offers a community in which you can start a free blog, share photos and videos, make friends and debate. Look for engaging user blogs addressing issues ranging from the Sichuan earthquake to whether men and women can be “just friends”.

12. Lamma (www.lamma.com.hk)
This citizen’s forum presents stories and photos from the island’s “intriguing, interesting” inhabitants. The site reminds us there is more to Hong Kong than legions of careerist go-getters. It also explores the antics of pagans, topless sunbathers and all kinds of “ferals”.

11. Glutter (glutter.rsfblog.org)
This site’s name is a fusion of the words “glitter” and “gutter”. But gossip is just one side of the blog. The author, Yan, was enlisted by Reporters Without Borders – a Paris-based non-government organisation advocating press freedom – for his honesty in writing about politics. The content is hard-hitting but the presentation could be sharper.

10. Hongkie Town (laowai.blogspot.com)
This blog will appeal to voyeurs, as it documents the ravings of an expat American in the city. Hongkie Town addresses issues such as dinner with the ex-wife, “unusually bad bar experiences” and corporate drudgery.

9. Batgung (www.batgung.com)
Batgung could use more visual oomph. The blue-and-white generic typeface wears thin. Still, the photos are good and the writing keenly focused. Not to be missed is the “Uniquely Hong Kong” section.

8. Ordinary Gweilo (ordinarygweilo.typepad.com)
Due to the lack of an editor, Ordinary Gweilo’s grammar can be slapdash. Nonetheless, the articles are fearless and make other media columnists look timid.

7. The Underground (www.undergroundhk.com)
Developed in 2004 in response to the lack of live music venues in Hong Kong, the Underground is devoted to the diverse local music scene. It offers gig listings, information about home-grown bands and CD reviews.

6. Big White Guy (www.bigwhiteguy.com)
This site is just as punchy as Glutter but on a street level. One typically controversial post opens with the assertion that most beggars are conmen. The writer, known as Randall, is a Canadian photographer who lives in the New Territories. In his “contact” section, he writes: “I’ll get back to you as soon as I can, provided you aren’t weird.” And he is true to his word.

5. aNobii (www.anobii.com)
This Facebook for bookworms has as clean an interface as you will find on the Web. Navigating aNobii is a case of type, click and whoosh! It is a platform for sharing reviews and recommendations and befriending like-minded readers.

4. Hong Kong Outdoors (www.hkoutdoors.com) Describing the city as a “many-splendoured place”, this portal whisks the reader on a tour of heritage trails, waterfall pools and secluded ravines – without degenerating into a brochure. One feature describes Hong Kong Wetland Park as “weird but not wonderful”.

3. Cloudless (cloudless.net/blog)
Proving that websites need not deploy interactive Web 2.0 gimmickry, Cloudless – which was devised by a photographer named Sunny in 1999 – serves up pictur
es of Hong Kong in the form of a visual diary. Alluringly dream-like, some shots depict landscapes dramatised by stark natural light. Others show pets from peculiar perspectives that give the images impact. Still others highlight strange signs.

2. Hemlock’s Diary (www.geocities.com/hkhemlock/papers.html)
Proving you do not need fancy software to write a blog, Hemlock’s Diary is produced on that dinosaur Web platform Geocities. It spreads an expat’s remorselessly provocative views. Nobody is safe from Hemlock’s brand of poison, not even former SCMP columnist and current undersecretary for the environment Kitty Poon Kit. Hemlock claims she sees the same hair stylist used by the punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees.

1. Bullpoo (www.bullpoo.com)
Dubbed “World of Warcraft meets Wall Street”, Bullpoo is an investment advisory site. It enables users to make risk-free simulated investments in an online role-playing game setup. The name sums up the clever concept: it suggests a bull market but it also keys into a Zen saying that warns when you speculate from afar, a prospect may look like gold but prove to be dung upon closer inspection.

It’s one of many oddities about the world’s freest economy that taxi drivers here would be breaking the law if they offered discounts to passengers.  However, if passengers ask for a discount, taxi drivers can agree – and of course everyone knows who to call to ask for a discount.  Other taxi drivers are not happy about this, though. 

Here’s a brilliant solution to this ‘problem’ (Cabbies do U-turn on long-trip discounts– subscription required):

A taxi drivers’ group has dropped its support for discounts on longer journeys – a move intended to help the trade combat illicit discounters – after government advisers said requesting a discount would not be made illegal.

Instead of charging slightly more for short journeys but a reduced rate for longer trips, as the Transport Advisory Committee (TAC) proposes, the Urban Taxi Drivers’ Association Joint Committee wants the flagfall – covering the first 2km – to go up by one-quarter to HK$20, and the charge for each 200 metres after that go up from HK$1.40 to HK$2, regardless of journey length.

So they want a big increase in fares so that they can then offer a discount?  Yes, that seems to be their brilliant plan:

Mr Kwok said: “As the TAC said there would be no law against discounts, we think it is better to set the fare higher so there will be more room for negotiation with passengers.”

That’s right.  They think they can increase fares by 40% and offer a 40% discount. Idiots. 

Yesterday’s SCMP had more on the background to this story (Taxi operators unhappy with fares overhaul – subscription required):

Taxi Operators’ Association chairman Leung Shiu-cheong said 15 per cent of the city’s 30,000 drivers offered discounts of 20 to 40 per cent for longer journeys. Without a law against bargaining, the discounters would just be able to undercut the new fares, he said.

But [TAC chairwoman Teresa] Cheng said legislation was not workable.

“If a mere verbal inquiry could attract a criminal penalty, this would deter the public, including tourists, from using taxi services. No other cities in the world penalise passengers for this,” she said.

Shirley Lam, who uses taxis once or twice a month, said the new fare structure was more reasonable but she would still use discount gangs.

Discount gangs?  Good grief – isn’t this just the free market in operation?

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