TR EMERITUS

作者：新加坡文献馆 25/09/2010 李光耀的《纽约时报》专访，在境 外的华文报有不同的关注焦点，台湾联合报《我怕下一代引爆族群问题》：‘他说，共产党曾在新加坡操弄中文和文化议题，指政府鼓励使用英文，是压制中文和华 裔的价值观，借此制造混乱激起种族仇恨，「如果允许这样的事情再度发生，整个社会将分裂」。’ 李光耀的这种历史观有待商榷。首先，把新加坡的政治-社会问题归咎于共产党和华文沙文主义具误导性，和真实的历史过程有相当的落差。其次，下一代是历史包袱的受害者，所以真正的问题应该是：这一个社会隐忧是谁的历史责任？ 前大马首相马哈迪在其博客指出：‘他在《纽约时报》的访问上提及：如果新加坡没有被驱逐，马来西亚的种族关系会更佳的说法，值得进一步探讨。这是否真实，或者只是一种幻想？’ 诚然，新加坡的种族政治，值得进一步探讨。李光耀版本的种族政治是否真实？真正的新加坡种族政治是个什么模样？ 回顾新加坡历史，种族政治的发展和李光耀的个人政治经历有着密切的关系，虽然，时代的客观环境也是促使种族政治成形的一个大因素。 C M Turnbull (2009: 291) ：‘这些暴乱带来极大的震撼。在1949年，殖民政府驳斥新加坡有种族问题：“完全没有任何种族和文化的社会问题。各个民族是在和睦的氛围下一起生活和工 作”。新加坡向来以种族和睦共处的社会环境而自豪，可是，这个格局如今面临其历史上的首度危机’。 按这名新加坡历史学者的看法，1964年的种族冲突暴乱并没有历史包袱的背景，换言之，这场动乱没有历史上的必然性；新加坡原有的种族和睦共处的社会环境是受到当时政治事件的冲击而面临危机。 那么，1964年的种族冲突暴乱是为何，又如何发生？是谁刺激了这宗历史事件？ 1959年新加坡成为自治邦，在英殖民政府的扶持下李光耀出任总理。至此，新加坡的独立运动取得初步的成就，随之，原有的殖民政府与人民之间的政治斗争，亦随着时局的改变而日渐变质。 新一轮的政治斗争有两个层面，其一，个人政治权力的巩固，其二，国家领导政权的竞争；前者是政党内派系的斗争，后者是新马政治领导权力的政党斗争。在人民行动党内，这是李光耀和林清祥两个派系的斗争。在新马政治上，这是人民行动党和巫统与马华的斗争。 在这段历史期间，李光耀充分利用种族和文化课题来削弱竞争对手的政治威胁。 其一，在新加坡，李光耀把林清祥派系塑造成共产党分子和华文沙文主义者。 李光耀的反共反华政治论，既通过强化文化矛盾来分化华人社会的英文教育者和华文教育者，亦通过强化种族矛盾来分化非华人和华人社会。简言之，李光耀以文化分化华人社会，以种族分化新加坡社会。 在政治效益上，李光耀的反共反华言论吸引了反共与非华人票源；前者包括英文教育者和右翼华文教育者，后者包括马来人，印度人和欧亚人。 这是李光耀承袭了英国人的分而治之的政治文化，并将之发扬光大。分而治之为的是巩固殖民主的统治权力，因为一个越分化的社会其反抗能力越薄弱，越是有利殖民统治。明显的，一个越强势的统治权力，反映出的现实是一个越分化的社会。 李光耀选择分而治之，也就是选择一个持续分裂的社会组织架构。这种从巩固个人政治利益为优先考量的策略，在根本上违反了一个新兴的独立自主国家应该建立的长远建国政治目标：一个国家，一个新加坡人。 随后，新加坡共同价值观进一步将分而治之的社会机制制度化。这解释了李光耀为何说‘一个国家，一个新加坡人’只是政治愿景，是一个不实际的政治目标。 为此，新加坡要付出相当的社会代价：‘下一代引爆族群问题’。这个恶果是分而治之种下的恶因。 其二，在新马政党斗争这一层面上，李光耀也是充分利用社会内在的种族与文化矛盾来捞取政治资本。这是1964年种族暴乱的远因之一。 1961年4月李光耀派系的内讧导致芳林补选，王永元以压倒性优势击败人民行动党。此刻，李光耀与林清祥的派系斗争亦已尖锐化。这种对李光耀不利的政治现实，让英国人和马来政治都害怕华人政治势力会取代李光耀。 为了挽救李光耀政权，同年5月东姑提出新加坡加入马来亚政治版图的可能性。这个新局面除了增加与改变了新加坡政治的变数，亦顺理成章让马来亚政治成为一股左右新加坡政治斗争的外来新力量。 在新加坡本土，李光耀伙同英国人和马来政治打击华人政治。李光耀成为以华治华战略下的反共反华先锋。在本质上，李光耀已经将人民行动党内的原有意识形态斗争，变质为种族政治斗争。 李光耀为了说服并告诫马来人而提出了所谓的‘第三中国’论：让李光耀的新加坡加入马来西亚，否则林清祥的新加坡将会成为‘第二个古巴’。这种论说挑拨与强化了了马来人的恐共恐华情绪，有效的摧毁了新马原有的种族和睦社会架构。 1963年2月的冷藏行动让李光耀政权有效的瓦解了华人政治的核心领导与基层组织架构。李光耀在解决了新加坡的权力斗争之后，开始盘算更大的个人政治权力空间。 为此，李光耀着眼于争夺马来西亚领导权力的政党斗争，其后果就是当今的新马历史包袱。这些政治历史恩怨事件中李光耀是最主要角色之一。 新马合并原本是英国人的长远大计，但却为了保住李光耀政权而沦为权宜之计。新马双方对匆忙中敲定的合并协议都有不满；利益冲突，加上李光耀在政治言行上的咄咄逼人是导致新马分家的其中一些基本因素。 Chew & Lee (1991: 145) 解读1964年种族暴乱的背景原因：‘人民行动党进军马来西亚政坛被看成是对国阵的挑衅，以及是华人在挑战马来人的政治优势…人民行动党不仅成为政治敌人 亦是马来社群的敌人…巫统认为人民行动党在动员华人共同对抗马来人，指责人民行动党是反马来人政党，并呼吁马来人团结一致…最后这引爆了两场种族骚乱…原 本是政党的斗争变质为惊险万分的种族暴乱。’ 人民行动党和巫统并没有因为人命伤亡而有所收敛，相反的，1965年5月9日，人民行动党联合其他反对党组成马来西亚团结阵线共同对抗国阵。人民行动党与巫统的强化斗争也加剧挑逗了华人与马来人的斗争。至此，种族政治更为白热化。 Edwin Lee (2008) 的第9章讲述新马分家的历史：在关键时刻，东姑的政治解决方案中新加坡有两个选择，其一是新加坡脱离马来西亚；其二是让李光耀辞职以保住新加坡留在马来西亚。 1965年8月9日李光耀宣布新加坡脱离马来西亚。 学者对李光耀在这时段的历史有多种的说法，比如，本地学者Melanie Chew (1996: 94, 95, 97) 记录了党主席杜进才对李光耀的评述：‘一个来自新加坡的华人如何能够成为一个马来国家的总理？’；‘李光耀的愤怒使到他的言谈演说越来越反马来人’；‘他 哭泣了，我不了解。一方面他努力去争取合并，到手后，他却将之打翻，然后哭泣。’ 加拿大学者Mauzy & Miline (2002: 22) ：‘杜进才认为李光耀作为一名新加坡的华人，从来就不知道马来人特权是什么一回事’。 马来亚学者Noordin Sopiee (1974: 215) ：‘他显得对马来人的政治表演艺术一窍不通。在行为上，李光耀严重误判了他所挑逗的马来人情绪，所以直到最后，他还是自以为能夠争取到马来人对人民行动党的支持’。 这些文字叙述反映了历史的一个侧面。另外，从一些熟悉和研究早年李光耀政治生涯的外国学者文献中可以体会到他们强烈感受到李光耀的个人优越感，或许，从这一个切入点可以解读这段历史中李光耀是如何看待并且对付其政治竞争对手。 此外，有必要追问的另一个更关键问题是，李光耀为何要在此刻如此重视，而且强调种族政治？所为何事？ 李光耀撰写的《白衣人》序言强调了林清祥的共产党背景。对李光耀而言，林清祥是共产党的历史判断可以让李光耀的许多政治决策合理化。 换言之，如果李光耀的政治对手确实是共产党分子和华文沙文主义者，那么，新加坡模式里的非民主和非人道因素都能被合理化。 同样的道理，李光耀也有必要为他在新马政党竞争上的政治言行，其中包括新加坡脱离马来西亚的决策取得合理化。 换言之，如果李光耀所说的：‘共产党…操弄中文和文化议题…借此制造混乱激起种族仇恨’属实，新马分家与下一代引爆族群问题等重大事件都可以归咎于李光耀的政治竞争对手。那么，李光耀的所作所为都能被合理化。 前不久，李光耀在《国家地理杂志》访谈中提出双语论与次等学生论，这种说法应该也是为了要把消灭传统华文教育体系和关闭南洋大学的政治决策合理化。 盖棺论定，历史都是由后人总结定论，不过，在种族政治这一课题上，新马的各种历史恩怨应该是来自李光耀与人民行动党和巫统与马华之间的矛盾，这一观点可以从敦马以及新山巫统领袖们的言论中取得佐证。  Read More →

Dear Straits Times,   I refer to the letter by Mr Joshua Loh dated 24 Sept 2010.   Mr Loh explains the many positive effects of the YOG as being the chance for thousands of volunteers and athletes to participate, to learn and to be enriched.  While athletes from all over the world benefitted from this golden opportunity to meet and to compete, it's difficult to see their learning as being our responsibility.  As for our own volunteers, we need to ask ourselves what exactly have they learnt?  While Mr Loh describes his experience as a volunteer interpreter as being wholesome and interesting, it's hard to see this as being overarchingly important.  Since Mr Loh admits that it is difficult to quantify the educational benefits of his experience, it would also not be appropriate for him to overstate its educational value.  Furthermore, Mr Loh's experience is not something that cannot be realised in other contexts.  He could have taken part in a student exchange or sought internship in a foreign country or visited a foreign country school in Singapore to experience the same interactions with foreigners.   Mr Loh says that a hundred years hence, the YOG flag will fly the Singapore name.  It will not.  The centennial Olympic Games held in Atlanta in 1996 carried the Atlanta name, not the name of Greece.  Recognition, respect and admiration is associated with the current host nation, not the host nation a hundred years ago.   Mr Loh accepts the government's 'inexperience' explanation as being reasonable.  Does Mr Loh think that the current Commonwealth games fiasco in India can be reasonably attributed to inexperience?     Thank you     Ng Kok Lim  Read More →

Moe Alkaff Local entertainer Moe Alkaff says Singapore’s rigid education system and his wife’s concern to be closer to her family were the “push” factors that led him to migrate with his family to the United States in 2000. The 48-year-old earned his fame as host of local TV series “Gotcha” – Singapore’s version of “Just for Gags” — which aired from 1993 to 1994, as well as his starring role in 2001 hit local comedy, ”One Leg Kicking“. In an exclusive interview with Yahoo! Singapore, the father of two – Shamzi, 11, and Zara, 9 – describes the kind of life his kids have been experiencing Stateside in Fort Collins, Colorado. “We live in an estate like a kampong (small village), they all go to the same school 200 metres away, all on bicycle. Every kid in the same estate goes there and they will all come back together, play outside, they go into our house, open and raid our fridge,” said the rubber-faced comedian with a ready smile. “That’s the kind of life I want my kids to have because that’s the kind of life I had. In Singapore, you can’t see that anymore: kids playing downstairs, going into each other’s house, going to school together and becoming like brothers and sisters,” added Moe, who has been in the events business for 21 years. He went on to compare the differences he observed after living in the US for 10 years and his early upbringing in Singapore. “The education system is pretty stiff here [Singapore], it has created great people but is there enough creativity?” “I want my kids to be street smart. The schools there [Colorado] are different. They take some subjects from Singapore, like math, but the rest involves a lot about their social abilities in terms of being creative, so my kids always come back with projects to do for school. I like that because they get parents involved too.” Turning his attention to raising kids, he emphasised the importance of parents’ role in their children’s upbringing, which is why his wife, Che Che, chose to leave her marketing job to help raise their two kids. “My wife and I would probably have to work to make ends meet in Singapore so we’d have to hire domestic help. Most domestic helpers are employed to help with the chores and they are not trained to raise kids. We want to pass whatever we learn to our children but if we are away and working all the time, it’s harder to give our children a part of us” He shares his hopes for Singaporeans to put their families first. Moe Alkaff was a club deejay Rising from humble beginnings, Moe — who graduated with only an NTC Grade 3 certificate — spent his early adult life doing odd jobs: he was a merchant ship sailor, construction worker and a club deejay before his big break on local television. He recalls how he was afraid to leave Singapore in 2000 for Las Vegas. “I was scared to leave Singapore and felt insecure but the only thing that stuck into my mind is that if I don’t do it now, I will probably never do it and might regret it. I don’t want to live my life and regret it. I rather just do it and see how,” he said. It seems he made the right choice. Today, he is able to spend all his time with his children when he is home in the US, but travels back to Singapore regularly to host corporate events and organise conferences. “I will always be a Singaporean. I still have my home here where my mother lives with me and I love Singapore and it’s people and food. Gosh! All my best friends are here and I will never want to lose that!” “When I am with my family in the US, I do nothing except spending time with them, play, hangout and I come back to Singapore to work every 2-3 weeks depending on the number of projects. I’ve been back here for almost every month this year,” he said, before revealing that he might slow things down as he gets older. He declined to reveal how much he earns but while not rich, said he made a “decent living”. “I have been an entertainer since young, in everything I did and I think it’s because of my entertainment abilities. I plan to do this all my life, I would die an entertainer. I have no plans to retire but I might slow down, work less, maybe 3 months a year and chill out the rest of the time. At 55, I want to slow down, see the world more, travel and climb mountains,” said Moe, who works out at the gym daily.   By Ion Danker, Fit To Post  Read More →