Appointing an administrative officer (政務官) to run RTHK will not become routine (常規), a top official said.
Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Elizabeth Tse Man-yee gave the assurance (note 1) to legislators amid a public outcry (note 2) over the appointment of Roy Tang Yun-kwong as the new director of broadcasting.
"This will not be a routine arrangement ... This was a special arrangement," Tse told the Legislative Council.
But her reassurance was not enough to stop information technology and broadcasting panel chairman Raymond Wong Yuk-man from deciding to convene a special meeting to look into the appointment over the objections of (note 3) pro-establishment (挺政府的) rivals. Wong said he was making the decision in response to (note 4) widespread (廣泛的) public concern and strong opposition to the appointment voiced by most RTHK staff.
Tse said as a deputy broadcasting director is a directorate grade three civil servant, the government will first consider if that person can fill the vacancy. This policy has remained unchanged.
But as no one working in RTHK was deemed suitable, the government launched an open recruitment (note 5).
She said the government received 26 applications but no suitable candidate was identified.
Meanwhile, about 11.3 percent or 7,600 more people got jobs in cleaning and similar services, and 7.7 percent or 16,600 more were hired in the food and beverage services sectors - despite the imposition (實施) of a minimum wage from May 1, the department said.
But the manufacturing industry hired 5 percent or 6,000 people less in June than in the same month last year.
Total vacant positions ((note 6) in June were 56,650 - up 25 percent year on year - mainly in the food services, import and export and professional and business services sectors.
From good to better English:
(note 1) give the assurance=保證, 擔保(a guarantee or pledge)。have (every) assurance of=有(一切)把握取得。with assurance=憑自信。Assurance的同義詞有 assuredness, certainty, certitude, confidence, conviction, positiveness, sureness, surety等。
(note 2) a public outcry=公眾譁然 (A strong protest or objection)。raise an outcry against=強烈反對[抗議]。
(note 3) over the objections of=不理會對方反對。Objection=反對；異議。There is no objection to your leaving at once=你現在即刻走也不礙事。have no objection to (doing)=不反對。Victor raises an objection to the appointment of Bo Bo as department head=Victor對任命Bo Bo為部門首長提出抗議[異議]。
(note 4) in response to=回應。Response=回答，答覆。make no response=不回答。Julian’s oratorical efforts evoked no response in his audience =Julian的雄辯在聽眾中不起反響。
(note 5) open recruitment=公開招聘。Recruit party members=吸收(黨員)。a raw recruit= 初學者，新手，生手。Victor’s band, “the Nanshan Wanderers”, has recruited six new members=Victor的樂隊吸收了6名新隊員。
(note 6) vacant positions=空缺。Vacant=空著的，沒人住的；(位置等)空缺的 (empty, unfilled)。The house is still vacant=這房子還空著。 a vacant lot=一塊空地。Vacant的同義詞有idle, inactive, unemployed, unused等。
Victor’s View: Journalists cherish press freedom and dare speak the truth. The government is determined to turn RTHK into its mouthpiece and it’s not hard to understand why they don’t want a journalist to head RTHK.
(Victor Fung Keung, director of HK Baptist University’s M.A. in international journalism program, has published 4 books on English-enhancement [the latest, titled <<學會演說、改變你的人生>>, was published on July 18] and plans to write 6 more by the end of 2012. Write to him: deanfungenglish@gmail.com)
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