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■希臘財困，圖為年老民眾紛紛到銀行提取退休金，每人只能提取120歐元，一位長者在國家銀外嚎哭。 資料圖片
希臘6月的公投結果，反對歐盟、歐洲央行和國際貨幣基金組織「三頭馬車」提出的債權人方案，引發世界對新一輪金融危機的擔憂。希臘民粹當道，福利主義盛行，最終令國家債台高築。
希臘債務的產生，主要源於政府發展經濟無方，卻順從一些政客的要求大派福利，導致國家入不敷支。今年1月，齊普拉斯以反對緊縮經濟的政綱成功上台。6月他以民意作為與歐盟談判的籌碼，最後卻惹怒歐元成員國，拒絕其延期還款。希臘不得不採取資本管制，令國內經濟瀕臨崩潰。
民粹政治下，民眾可以用公投來向國際債權人說不，但卻不能幫助希臘解決財政問題。從目前情況看，國家將有可能步入破產。若國家破產，民眾可能連每天20歐元也提不出來。香港要想不重蹈希臘的覆轍，就必須以理性務實的精神，全力聚焦經濟民生，確保長期繁榮穩定。
Troubled Greece minds HK to spend wisely
Rejecting the bailout program offered by the European Troika (the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund) in June, the Greek referendum result stirred up worldwide fear of a new financial crisis. Following the rise of Populism and Welfarism, Greece had fallen into a plague of debts.
Despite its lacklustre performance in leading the country's economic progression, the Greek government still vastly increased welfare as per the requests by certain local politicians over the years, resulting in a huge budget deficit. Winning the Greek election in January with a vow to end austerity, Alexis Tsipras called a referendum in June in an effort to turn public opinion into bargaining chips in the talks with EU. However the eurozone members were enraged by the referendum and rejected the Greek PM's request to extend the current bailout. She had no alternatives than to announce capital control, and her economy was on the verge of collapse.
With local politics heavily influenced by Populism, the Greek people could and did say NO to international creditors with their votes. But it certainly does not help alleviate their country's economic problems. A sovereign default was very much possible under the circumstances, and by then the Greeks might experience difficulty even in withdrawing just 20 euros from their bank accounts. To avoid making the same mistakes as Greece, Hong Kong must fully focus on developing the economy and improving people's livelihood with a rational and pragmatic principle. That is the road to ensure Hong Kong's long term prosperity and stability.
Learning Point
本文章集中討論希臘債務危機，內容包含眾多和國家政經相關的英語詞彙，讀者可以多加留意。
1. 三頭馬車
2. 民粹
3. 福利主義
4. 債權人方案
5. 歐元成員國
6. 國際債權人
7. 資本管制
8. 緊縮經濟
9. 國家破產
10. 公投
Excercise
Answers
1. Troika
2. Populism
3. Welfarism
4. Bailout Programme
5. Eurozone members
6. International creditors
7. Capital Control
8. Austerity
9. Sovereign default
10. Referendum
■Jeffrey Tse [ywc_jeffrey@hotmail.com]
隔星期三見報
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