李显龙卸任,”新加坡模式”渐失人心?
https://cn.nytimes.com/asia-pacific/20240516/singapore-lee-prime-minister-retire/dual/
黄瑞黎 2024年5月16日
新加坡曾作为依傍海峡的富有城邦为人所知,现在已经是一个华丽的国际旅游胜地。这里是泰勒·斯威夫特演唱会和一级方程式夜间赛的举办地。人均财富远远超过美国。
这一转变是在这个东南亚国家的第三任总理李显龙的领导下发生的。他在很大程度上沿袭了其父亲、新加坡第一任领导人李光耀开创的半独裁和自由市场模式,使新加坡变得更加繁荣。
本周三,新加坡迎来了近20年来的首位新领导人。72岁的李显龙将把职位交给他的副手、51岁的黄循财。他们领导的人民行动党已经连续执政六十多年,取得了惊人的成就。但有人担心,备受夸耀的“新加坡模式”正在让越来越多的人失望。
新加坡是世界上最昂贵的城市之一,但它没有最低工资。房价飙升,许多新加坡人说社会流动性大大降低。还有人抱怨言论自由仍然受到严格控制,尽管比以前有所减少。对海外工人的需求加剧了这些压力;在新加坡近600万人口中,约40%不是该国公民。
与以严厉著称的父亲相比,李显龙表现出了灵活性,愿意回应公众的要求,但人民行动党的声望在他的任期内受到了重大打击。不过,该党目前仍牢牢掌控着政权。
2022年,李显龙与于周三接替他担任总理的黄循财。
黄循财一直努力塑造一个普通人的形象:他在公共住房中长大,没有上过与前任总理一样的名校,他喜欢弹吉他。李显龙将继续担任“国务资政”,就像他的父亲在1990年卸任后所做的那样。李显龙说过,他的子女对从政不感兴趣。
本月早些时候,李显龙在新新加坡的标志——滨海湾金沙酒店向全国发表了他最后一次重要讲话。
他说:“当我宣誓就任总理时,我承诺要建设一个更具包容性的新加坡:在这里,不是人人为自己,而是每个人都齐心协力,为我们大家创造更好的条件。”
几个小时后,在附近的一个地方发生了几十年前难以想象的一幕。数百人聚集在演讲者之角集会,这是该国唯一一个新加坡人可以在没有许可证的情况下进行抗议的地方。他们当中有送货员、巴士司机和医护人员,许多人身穿荧光黄色安全背心,让人联想到法国的反政府运动。
活动人士科基拉·安娜玛莱在人群中发言说,人民行动党领导的政府所建立的制度“一直在保护富人,而不是工人阶级”。她还说,新加坡是“富人的游乐场,而穷人则被挤在狭小的出租屋里”。
人民行动党是世界上最有统治力的政党之一。它的部长们拿着高薪,该党称这可以防止腐败。它把新加坡从一个落后的沼泽地变成了发达国家和全球海上贸易的重要枢纽。人均国内生产总值约为83000美元,而美国约为76000美元。作为一个重要的金融中心,这个城市国家巧妙地应对了新冠大流行,以及美国和中国之间日益紧张的关系。
但不满情绪一直在增长。在2020年的大选中,人民行动党的得票率接近历史最低点61%,反对党在93个有待争夺的议会席位中赢得了创纪录的10个席位。
今年30岁的周一雄(音)从未投票给李显龙的政党。从大学毕业并获得英语和语言学学位两年后,他开始送外卖和做家教,每月收入约2400美元。他仍然和父母住在一起;他希望拥有自己的公寓,但是遥不可及。在他结婚或年满35岁之前,他不能从政府那里购买公共住房。他也买不起商品房。
他的困境与祖母形成了鲜明的对比,他的祖母是一个没有受过教育的寡妇,在20世纪60年代抚养了五个孩子。他说,她的后代如今过着“舒适的中产阶级”生活,有些人拥有公寓和汽车。
“我猜很多人会说:‘是啊,你在一个更发达、更富裕的国家长大,’”周一雄说。“但我认为,社会流动性的机会要少得多。”
新加坡工人党的支持者在等待2020年的选举结果。当年,反对党赢得的议会席位比以往任何时候都多。
李显龙曾说,两党制在新加坡“行不通”。但在2020年,他正式确立了反对党在议会中的领袖地位,并做出让步,使反对党集团控制了12个席位,超过了之前赢得的10个席位。
“他知道,如果他想保持人民行动党的统治地位——我认为他基本上做到了——他必须控制变革的步伐,”新加坡管理大学法学副教授陈庆文说。
在社会方面,李显龙做出的最彻底的改变可能是废除了一项殖民时代的法律,该法律禁止男性之间自愿的性行为。
“至少有了‘我们现在可以这么做’的感觉,而且我们终于不再是罪犯了,”LGBTQ权利组织Oogachaga的执行董事廖扬法(音)说。
去年6月,新加坡举办了一年一度的骄傲节 “粉红点”,这是自禁止男性之间性行为的法律被废除后的第一个骄傲节。
但李显龙也采取行动,巩固了婚姻属于异性恋这一定义。公众对种族和宗教的讨论仍然受到严格控制,人权组织说,政府对批评人士的态度仍然很强硬。2021年,新加坡高等法院判决一名博主因诽谤向李显龙支付约10万美元。(《纽约时报》公司曾在2010年和上世纪90年代中期道歉并支付罚款,以就新加坡官员对评论文章提出的诽谤诉讼达成和解。)
批评人士称,政府将一项据称旨在打击假新闻的法律武器化了。
“你永远不知道自己什么时候会说什么触犯当局的话,”剧作家兼播客主播乔伊·陈(音)说。
新加坡政府在声明中表示,已经加强了与公众的接触。它还阐述了自己关于言论自由的理念。
“言论自由是新加坡宪法的重要组成部分,但它并没有赋予新加坡人无条件的权利,”声明说。“如果事态影响到新加坡人民的安全,以及新加坡享有的和平与和谐,政府现在和将来都会进行干预。”
对一些人来说,黄循财获得任命令人鼓舞。
“我们不再有李显龙了,但我们有了一位非传统类型的领导人,”新加坡独立在线杂志《Jom》的主编苏希尔·托马斯·瓦达克斯说。“我喜欢这样。”
近年来,李显龙不得不应对与兄弟姐妹之间的公开不和,以及人民行动党内部的一系列丑闻,这些丑闻玷污了该党打造的清廉形象。但他离任时仍是一位受欢迎的领导人。
佐伊·陈(音)回忆说,她见过他在新加坡北部德义区与居民交谈的样子。“他在市场散步,显得平易近人,”佐伊·陈说。“他和我们合影留念。”
佐伊·陈说,她曾两次给总理发邮件,要求宽限住房付款期。两次,他的办公室都迅速安排帮助她。
“李显龙要退休了,我感到非常难过,我以为他会一直干下去,”目前在新加坡社区发展委员会工作的佐伊·陈说。
新加坡是世界上物价最高的城市之一。
李显龙在滨海湾金沙酒店的讲话中暗示,政治变革可能会威胁到新加坡的繁荣。
“新加坡不一定要在制度上彻底崩溃才会陷入困境,”他说。“如果我们的政治变得像其他国家一样,我们最终会比其他国家更糟糕。”
李显龙卸任,“新加坡模式”渐失人心?
Singapore’s Riches Grew Under Its Leader. So Did Discontent.
黄瑞黎 2024年5月16日新加坡总理李显龙去年与夫人何晶一起访问印尼。他于周三卸任。
Singapore was once known as an affluent and strait-laced city-state. Today, it’s a glitzy international destination. It has hosted Taylor Swift concerts and Formula One night races. And it is substantially richer, per capita, than the United States.
新加坡曾作为依傍海峡的富有城邦为人所知,现在已经是一个华丽的国际旅游胜地。这里是泰勒·斯威夫特演唱会和一级方程式夜间赛的举办地。人均财富远远超过美国。
That transformation happened under Lee Hsien Loong, the Southeast Asian country’s third prime minister. He made Singapore even more prosperous by largely following the semi-authoritarian and free-market model pioneered by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, the country’s first leader.
这一转变是在这个东南亚国家的第三任总理李显龙的领导下发生的。他在很大程度上沿袭了其父亲、新加坡第一任领导人李光耀开创的半独裁和自由市场模式,使新加坡变得更加繁荣。
On Wednesday, Singapore gets a new leader for the first time in nearly 20 years. Mr. Lee, 72, is handing the office to his deputy, Lawrence Wong, 51. Their People’s Action Party has governed Singapore continuously for over six decades, and has had astounding successes. But there are concerns that the vaunted “Singapore model” is failing more and more people.
本周三,新加坡迎来了近20年来的首位新领导人。72岁的李显龙将把职位交给他的副手、51岁的黄循财。他们领导的人民行动党已经连续执政六十多年,取得了惊人的成就。但有人担心,备受夸耀的“新加坡模式”正在让越来越多的人失望。
Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world, but it does not have a minimum wage. Housing prices have surged, and many Singaporeans say social mobility has dropped considerably. Others complain that freedom of expression is still tightly controlled, if less so than before. The strains are exacerbated by the need for overseas workers; about 40 percent of Singapore’s nearly six million people are not citizens.
新加坡是世界上最昂贵的城市之一,但它没有最低工资。房价飙升,许多新加坡人说社会流动性大大降低。还有人抱怨言论自由仍然受到严格控制,尽管比以前有所减少。对海外工人的需求加剧了这些压力;在新加坡近600万人口中,约40%不是该国公民。
Compared to his famously strict father, Mr. Lee showed flexibility and responsiveness to the public’s demands, but the P.A.P.’s popularity took a significant hit during his tenure. Nonetheless it remains, for now, firmly ensconced in power.
与以严厉著称的父亲相比,李显龙表现出了灵活性,愿意回应公众的要求,但人民行动党的声望在他的任期内受到了重大打击。不过,该党目前仍牢牢掌控着政权。
2022年,李显龙与于周三接替他担任总理的黄循财。
Mr. Wong has tried to project an everyman image: He was raised in public housing, did not attend the same elite schools as his predecessors, and loves playing the guitar. Mr. Lee will stay on as “senior minister,” as his father did after stepping down in 1990. Mr. Lee has said that his children are not interested in entering politics.
黄循财一直努力塑造一个普通人的形象:他在公共住房中长大,没有上过与前任总理一样的名校,他喜欢弹吉他。李显龙将继续担任“国务资政”,就像他的父亲在1990年卸任后所做的那样。李显龙说过,他的子女对从政不感兴趣。
Earlier this month, Mr. Lee gave his last major address to the nation at an icon of the new Singapore, the Marina Bay Sands casino resort.
本月早些时候,李显龙在新新加坡的标志——滨海湾金沙酒店向全国发表了他最后一次重要讲话。
“When I was sworn in as P.M., I promised to build a more inclusive Singapore: one where it is not every man for himself, but everyone working together to make things better for all of us,” he said.
他说:“当我宣誓就任总理时,我承诺要建设一个更具包容性的新加坡:在这里,不是人人为自己,而是每个人都齐心协力,为我们大家创造更好的条件。”
A few hours later, a scene unfolded nearby that would have been unimaginable a few decades earlier. Hundreds had gathered for a rally at Speakers’ Corner, the one place in the city-state where Singaporeans can protest without a permit. Among them were delivery workers, bus drivers and health care workers, and many wore fluorescent yellow safety vests, evoking a French anti-government movement.
几个小时后,在附近的一个地方发生了几十年前难以想象的一幕。数百人聚集在演讲者之角集会,这是该国唯一一个新加坡人可以在没有许可证的情况下进行抗议的地方。他们当中有送货员、巴士司机和医护人员,许多人身穿荧光黄色安全背心,让人联想到法国的反政府运动。
Addressing the crowd, Kokila Annamalai, an activist, said the P.A.P.-led government had built systems that “have always protected the wealthy, not the working class.” Singapore, she added, is “a playground for the rich while the poor are squeezed into tiny rental flats.”
活动人士科基拉·安娜玛莱在人群中发言说,人民行动党领导的政府所建立的制度“一直在保护富人,而不是工人阶级”。她还说,新加坡是“富人的游乐场,而穷人则被挤在狭小的出租屋里”。
The P.A.P. is one of the world’s most dominant political parties. Its ministers are paid high salaries, which the party says prevents corruption. It transformed Singapore from a backwater swamp into a first-world nation and a key cog in global maritime trade. Gross domestic product is about $83,000 per capita, compared with roughly $76,000 in the United States. The city-state, a major financial hub, deftly managed the coronavirus pandemic and rising tensions between the United States and China.
人民行动党是世界上最有统治力的政党之一。它的部长们拿着高薪,该党称这可以防止腐败。它把新加坡从一个落后的沼泽地变成了发达国家和全球海上贸易的重要枢纽。人均国内生产总值约为83000美元,而美国约为76000美元。作为一个重要的金融中心,这个城市国家巧妙地应对了新冠大流行,以及美国和中国之间日益紧张的关系。
But discontent has been growing. In the 2020 election, the P.A.P.’s share of the popular vote reached a near-record low of 61 percent, and the opposition won a record 10 seats in Parliament, out of 93 that were up for grabs.
但不满情绪一直在增长。在2020年的大选中,人民行动党的得票率接近历史最低点61%,反对党在93个有待争夺的议会席位中赢得了创纪录的10个席位。
Choo Yi Hung, 30, has never voted for Mr. Lee’s party. Two years after graduating from college with a degree in English language and linguistics, he delivers food and tutors students, making about $2,400 per month. He still lives with his parents; he would like his own apartment, but that is out of reach. He can’t buy a public housing flat from the government until he gets married or turns 35. Not that he can afford one.
今年30岁的周一雄(音)从未投票给李显龙的政党。从大学毕业并获得英语和语言学学位两年后,他开始送外卖和做家教,每月收入约2400美元。他仍然和父母住在一起;他希望拥有自己的公寓,但是遥不可及。在他结婚或年满35岁之前,他不能从政府那里购买公共住房。他也买不起商品房。
Mr. Choo contrasts his predicament with that of his grandmother, who raised five children in the 1960s as an uneducated widow. Her descendants now have lifestyles that he described as “comfortably middle class,” with some owning condominiums and cars.
他的困境与祖母形成了鲜明的对比,他的祖母是一个没有受过教育的寡妇,在20世纪60年代抚养了五个孩子。他说,她的后代如今过着“舒适的中产阶级”生活,有些人拥有公寓和汽车。
“I guess a lot of people will say: ‘Yeah, you grew up in a more developed country, a wealthier country,’” Mr. Choo said. “But I would argue that the opportunities for social mobility are far, far less.”
“我猜很多人会说:‘是啊,你在一个更发达、更富裕的国家长大,’”周一雄说。“但我认为,社会流动性的机会要少得多。”
新加坡工人党的支持者在等待2020年的选举结果。当年,反对党赢得的议会席位比以往任何时候都多。
Mr. Lee once said that a two-party political system was “not workable” in Singapore. But in 2020, he formally established the position of opposition leader in Parliament and made concessions that allowed the opposition bloc to control 12 seats, more than the 10 it had won.
李显龙曾说,两党制在新加坡“行不通”。但在2020年,他正式确立了反对党在议会中的领袖地位,并做出让步,使反对党集团控制了12个席位,超过了之前赢得的10个席位。
“He knew that if he wanted to maintain P.A.P.’s dominance — which I think he has largely done — he had to manage the pace of change,” said Eugene Tan, an associate professor of law at Singapore Management University.
“他知道,如果他想保持人民行动党的统治地位——我认为他基本上做到了——他必须控制变革的步伐,”新加坡管理大学法学副教授陈庆文说。
On the social front, perhaps the most sweeping change that Mr. Lee made was repealing a colonial-era law that banned consensual sex between men.
在社会方面,李显龙做出的最彻底的改变可能是废除了一项殖民时代的法律,该法律禁止男性之间自愿的性行为。
“At least there’s a sense of ‘We can do this now,’ and that ultimately we are not criminals anymore,” said Leow Yangfa, the executive director of Oogachaga, an L.G.B.T.Q. rights group.
“至少有了‘我们现在可以这么做’的感觉,而且我们终于不再是罪犯了,”LGBTQ权利组织Oogachaga的执行董事廖扬法(音)说。
去年6月,新加坡举办了一年一度的骄傲节 “粉红点”,这是自禁止男性之间性行为的法律被废除后的第一个骄傲节。
But Mr. Lee also moved to cement the definition of marriage as a heterosexual concept. Public discussion of race and religion remains tightly controlled, and rights groups say the government is still combative with its critics. In 2021, Singapore’s High Court ordered a blogger to pay Mr. Lee about $100,000 for defamation. (The New York Times Company apologized and paid fines in 2010 and in the mid-1990s to settle libel claims brought by Singaporean officials over opinion articles.)
但李显龙也采取行动,巩固了婚姻属于异性恋这一定义。公众对种族和宗教的讨论仍然受到严格控制,人权组织说,政府对批评人士的态度仍然很强硬。2021年,新加坡高等法院判决一名博主因诽谤向李显龙支付约10万美元。(《纽约时报》公司曾在2010年和上世纪90年代中期道歉并支付罚款,以就新加坡官员对评论文章提出的诽谤诉讼达成和解。)
Critics say the government has weaponized a law it says was designed to combat fake news.
批评人士称,政府将一项据称旨在打击假新闻的法律武器化了。
“You never know when or what you’re going to say is going to run afoul of the authorities,” said Joel Tan, a playwright and podcaster.
“你永远不知道自己什么时候会说什么触犯当局的话,”剧作家兼播客主播乔伊·陈(音)说。
In a statement, the Singapore government said it had increased engagement with the public. It also laid out its philosophy on free speech.
新加坡政府在声明中表示,已经加强了与公众的接触。它还阐述了自己关于言论自由的理念。
“Freedom of expression is an important part of Singapore’s constitution, but it does not confer on Singaporeans an unqualified right,” the statement said. “In situations where it affects the safety and security of people in Singapore, and the peace and harmony that Singapore enjoys, the government does and will intervene.”
“言论自由是新加坡宪法的重要组成部分,但它并没有赋予新加坡人无条件的权利,”声明说。“如果事态影响到新加坡人民的安全,以及新加坡享有的和平与和谐,政府现在和将来都会进行干预。”
For some, Mr. Wong’s appointment is encouraging.
对一些人来说,黄循财获得任命令人鼓舞。
“We don’t have a Lee anymore, but we also have a nontraditional type of leader,” said Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh, the editor in chief of Jom, an independent online magazine about Singapore. “I do like that.”
“我们不再有李显龙了,但我们有了一位非传统类型的领导人,”新加坡独立在线杂志《Jom》的主编苏希尔·托马斯·瓦达克斯说。“我喜欢这样。”
In recent years, Mr. Lee had to contend with a public feud with his siblings and a series of scandals within the P.A.P. that sullied the squeaky-clean image the party projects. But he leaves office as a popular leader.
近年来,李显龙不得不应对与兄弟姐妹之间的公开不和,以及人民行动党内部的一系列丑闻,这些丑闻玷污了该党打造的清廉形象。但他离任时仍是一位受欢迎的领导人。
Zoe Tan recalled seeing Mr. Lee mingling with residents in Teck Ghee, a district in northern Singapore. “He’ll walk the market and is very humble,” Ms. Tan said. “He will take pictures with us.”
佐伊·陈(音)回忆说,她见过他在新加坡北部德义区与居民交谈的样子。“他在市场散步,显得平易近人,”佐伊·陈说。“他和我们合影留念。”
On two separate occasions, Ms. Tan said, she emailed the prime minister to ask for a grace period for housing payments. Both times, his office made quick arrangements to help her.
佐伊·陈说,她曾两次给总理发邮件,要求宽限住房付款期。两次,他的办公室都迅速安排帮助她。
“I feel very sad Lee Hsien Loong is going to retire, I thought he was going to continue forever,” said Ms. Tan, who now works for Singapore’s Community Development Council.
“李显龙要退休了,我感到非常难过,我以为他会一直干下去,”目前在新加坡社区发展委员会工作的佐伊·陈说。
新加坡是世界上物价最高的城市之一。
In his speech at Marina Bay Sands, Mr. Lee suggested that political change could threaten Singapore’s prosperity.
李显龙在滨海湾金沙酒店的讲话中暗示,政治变革可能会威胁到新加坡的繁荣。
“The system does not have to fail outright for Singapore to get into trouble,” he said. “If our politics becomes like other countries, we will end up worse than other countries.”
“新加坡不一定要在制度上彻底崩溃才会陷入困境,”他说。“如果我们的政治变得像其他国家一样,我们最终会比其他国家更糟糕。”