Wing: A Sophistic Farmer Fooled the Whole Village

A Sophistic Farmer Fooled the Whole Village

Translated by Wong Poon-cho 王本初, Edited by Chen-t'ang 鎮棠, Written by 翼雙飛 (Wing Wing)
Original: http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/01-15-2014/7300 




There was once a chief in an old but prosper village. Being respected and experienced, he regulated the operation by setting up rules which were deemed to be followed by everyone and no one should disobey his wordings or punishment would be received.

Helping those in need, villagers with sufficient crops should submit a certain portion to the common warehouse at designated times, because sometimes people cannot help planting because of accidents or their old age. Also, one could seek help whenever it was necessary.

Meanwhile, more and more poverty-stricken aged males decided to marry women from the next village despite being unable to maintain a steady family. While in the beginning the new-arrivals were not permitted to take any food from the public institution unless they had stayed in the place for not less than seven years, a local farmer suggested that the newcomers were also a significant part of the village so they should be cared and loved in the same way. After considerations, the chief decided that length of stay was no longer a necessary requirement.

You can get the rest picture. The food was all taken, and noises were sound among the indigenous inhabitants.

'The warehouse was full; and now it is empty! We once expected for a fruitful year; and now the stock is all gone! '

'I know that I am not rich enough to get married and I succumb to fate, but why should I feed their wives with my own food? Should they share their wives with me in this case?'

'My neighbour, Granny Chan was born to be a local. There are rodent biting her food stock from her and now she is starving. She could only get a small portion from the warehouse because all the food were taken by those foreigners. She is absolutely eligible in getting sufficient food! Why should she share something that belongs to her with the newcomers?'

And so a group of furious villagers surrounded and vigorously condemned the farmer, who yelled, 'It is legal and reasonable for the immigrant to enjoy the right!'

'Being legal is not the same as being reasonable! Don't try to fool us with words! ' exclaimed the villagers.

'Considering a debt of gratitude, Granny Chan should definitely be privileged in receiving abundant amount of supply in order to thank her hard work in building our village and her generosity towards those in need; nonetheless, you only mention the so-called positive contributions of the newcomers but intentionally neglect the sweat and tears of the old woman all over the previous 80 years.'

'Considering principles and reasons, it is extremely unfair that only the immigrants from the next village can skip means test but Miss Cheng, the wife of Mr Lee living in the next door, from the 'Forformosa Island' could only move in after passing the test. How is it reasonable if there are double standards?

The farmer argued, 'The right to family reunion is a kind human right, and money shouldn't be the only yardstick! '

'Then why don't you help her to fight for the exemption from the means test? Why are you only assisting the newcomers from the next village but not those from 'Forformosa Island'? You claimed that we are discriminating the immigrants from our neighbourhood, but aren't you doing exactly the same thing to those further from us? '

'You farmer, what you are doing is neither fair nor reasonable! You are just exploiting the chief to deceive and fool all the villagers. No one shall go to hell but you! '

* The first character of 菜農 (choi nong, vegetables farmer) is a homophone of Tsoi, the family name of Richard Tsoi, member of the Democratic Party of HK and member of Society of Community Organization (社協), which the director Ho Hei-wah and another member of SCO, Sze Lai-shan (new immigrant coming to HK at the age of 11) are said to be 'traitors' of Hong Kong by some critics. Richard Tsoi was condemned because he helped the mainland woman, Kong Yunming, in appealing the court rules by the High Court, thus allowing non-permanent HK resident to get Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) within in one year's stay.