【明報專訊】KO WING-MAN, the Secretary for Food and Health, concluded that the government's gatekeeping mechanism was to blame soon after pigs were found to be contaminated with anti-asthma drugs. He apologised to the public, adding that he would consider compensating affected businesses for their loss. By doing so he has put the matter to rest very promptly. While it is obvious that the government's crisis management has been very effective, Ko has basically passed the buck to the system, failing to pay proper regard to such fundamental problems as the dereliction of duty on the part of officers from specific departments. With government officers continuing to shield each other or their subordinates, the government cannot possibly learn a lesson from its mistakes, and it will be hard for officers to become proactive when handling their duties.