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by Yuen-Yee Meng
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29th Aug 2010                                (24)
CORRUPTION WAS A NORM















During my childhood, I often heard the
grown ups mention giving 'tea money'
literally for everything. If one was in
hospital and required services for a cup of
water, or hoped to receive services that a
patient should receive, one had to pay
voluntary gratuity to the casual workers  
(who were called amahs in Hong Kong)
working in the hospitals. Fire fighters also
demanded money when they were called
out to a fire scene, otherwise water would
be splashed everywhere, even areas which
were not affected by the fire so that all the
things there would be damaged by water.
They would expect to receive ‘tea  money’
before they turned off the water when the
fire was put off. Paying extra money to the
telephone company would get priority in
having  telephones installed etc.  Huge
bribes were paid to civil servants  to win
tenders for public services or to obtain
approval for all sorts of activities from the
government.







It was widely known that policemen
received money from gambling dens,
brothels, illegal hawkers, etc. so that illegal
businesses could carry out without raids
from the police. The whole Police Force
was corrupt  and it was known to all that
no policeman was clean. Even though one
was not involved in any of the solicitation,
money in a brown envelope would still be
placed in one’s  drawer periodically.  
During that time giving and taking 'tea
money' was regarded as a norm, and not
some sort of a bribery or crime.


In the early 1970s, I was approached  in a
hospital that I could pay HK$300 in order
to have a designated gynaecologist to
deliver my baby; and if I was prepared to
pay HK$500, I would be able to have the
service of the Head of the Gynaecology
Department in a government hospital.
Usually, the delivery would be attended to
by those midwives or doctors who were on
duty if no special arrangements were
made. 'Tea money' would only be given
after the birth and the money was given as
a token of 'thank you'.

At long last, the Independent Commission  
Against Corruption (ICAC) was established
in 1974.. The number of policemen involved
in corruption was very high and a large
number of  them were under investigation
by ICAC. In 1977, several hundred
policemen besieged the headquarters of
ICAC demanding that all investigations into
police corruption be halted. In order to
pacify the police force, the Hong Kong
Government had to grant an amnesty to
the entire police force although cases
being investigated and all future corruption
cases would be pursued without exception.
Although corruption cannot be completely
eradicated in Hong Kong, it is now one of
the cleanest places to do business in Asia.

Old habits died hard. My mother-in-law  
still gave 'tea money' to the amahs in the
private hospital where she stayed in
1990s. In fact she was treated in the same
manner as other  patients whether she
gave the 'tea money' or not.

Yuen-yee