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博雅学院 引狼入室? 还是真开放?


博雅学院还未开门开课,耶鲁大学的教授们就发声,要求新加坡学院当局尊重人权,给予言论自由。日前,耶鲁大学教授们通过议决案,要求耶鲁大学在耶鲁大学-国大合办的博雅学院在明年开课后,遵守议决案的内容。这项议决案虽然受到耶鲁大学校长的反对,最终还是以多数票通过。

这对一向不愿开放门户,让自由之声,民主之声,高声播放的新加坡,会是一个怎么样的结局呢?耶鲁大学,美国的自由民主风气,是否能够在新加坡这个一党专政的国家有所作为呢? 这对还没有解除内安法的新加坡,将会有怎么样的冲击呢? 或许,真的是或许,行动党已经明白过去的做法已经过时,现在借着洋人的手,把自由民主的门打开,让国人呼吸新鲜空气,面对新政治常态。

耶鲁大学的教授们为何如此害怕新加坡,为何认为新加坡会压制人权,限制言论自由?因此,也限制了学术自由。难道没有民主自由,国家就不会进步吗?难道美国的制度一定比我们好吗?或许,行动党政府天天日日在高论经济成长的时候,给老外看到听到的都是钱钱钱!而不是优雅的人文素质,而是一大堆数字,以及高压的政治手段。这怎么不叫洋人担心,万一不幸,堂堂教授也变了阶下囚。不久前,有个洋人,不知写了一本什么书,就坐了几个月的牢。这是有历史纪录,有前车之鉴的,不是教授们凭空想象的。

有人欢喜有人愁

洋人政治人物喜欢小红点。洋人投资者,老外管理人员,也热捧新加坡的经济表现,更热爱新加坡给他们发财发富的机会。但是,也有另一批洋人知识分子不买这个帐,认为新加坡所取得的成功,是建立在独裁,政府垄断,限制人身自由的基础上的。因此,新加坡的成功,并不是获得所有的洋人的掌声,就像我国有些政要,在美国受到屁股以对的欢迎一样。

所以,博雅学院是否能延续耶鲁的自由校风,就成了教授们的担忧,他们或许是过度担忧,也或许是有先见之明,先声明,好过将来出现不愉快的事,才来说,就太迟了。在这点上,洋人倒是先跟你说说道理。

引狼入室 假戏真做

但是,对于新加坡政府来说,这也是一项冒险,也很可能是引狼入室。我们要的是通才教育,提高我们的人文素质,在创意上进一步提高,在思维上思想上向上提升。政府要的不是民主自由之风,更加上东西方还是有所差别,大家的政治理想,生活标准也不一样,把美式的民主自由引进来,万一假戏真做,使到新加坡政治出现两党或多党制,这对行动党不是极为不利吗?难道,行动党真的有这个雅量,这个包容心(最近常常听到政府提起和推动),和在野党分享政权吗?愿意受到更多的制衡吗?

耶鲁大学的教授们在议决案中,事实上是否定新加坡过去的民主人权纪录,他们认为新加坡在历史上一路来没有尊重民事和政治权利,因此,他们要求博雅学院在院内以及在(新加坡)社会上不歧视,并尊重,维护各方各照的自由。这是人文教育的核心,不能妥协。以下是议决案的全文:

Full text of the Yale-NUS college resolution:


We, the Yale College Faculty, express our concern regarding the history of lack of respect for civil and political rights in the state of Singapore, host of Yale-National University of Singapore College.


We urge Yale-NUS to respect, protect and further principles of non-discrimination for all, including sexual minorities and migrant workers; and to uphold civil liberty and political freedom on campus and in the broader society. 
These ideals lie at the heart of liberal arts education as well as of our civil sense as citizens, and they ought not to be compromised.
(sg.news.yahoo.com 6 April 2012)

东西方的元素?

不知道是否是害怕洋风太盛,因此,博雅学院所提供的博雅教育將包含東方元素。學生不單接觸西方哲學,還將能接觸中國哲學家孔子和孟子。
【耶魯——新加坡國大學院代執行副校長(學術事務)江莉莉教授說,學院希望創造一種新式的博雅教育,一種既不過於注重,又不完全脫離西方模式的博雅教育,因此他們將特別重視比較和跨文化教育。學院將利用中國與漢學教授基金,聘請來自中國、西方等國家的中國或漢學學者擔任客座或長期教授。江莉莉指出,這名教授將協助學院平衡課程內容,確保課程包括西方和亞洲視角。(星洲日报 201242日)】
因此,新加坡的博雅学院,将和美国的耶鲁大学的博雅教育,有些差别。这个差别的变数,将会随着局势的发展而做出适当的调整,我们拭目以待吧!

希望在东方的元素中,博雅学院除了引进儒家思想外,还更应该知道和尊重百家争鸣?甚至印度的哲学思想。耶鲁大学教授们所要看到和要确保的人权自由,民主思想,似乎更加接近百家争鸣,他们不要一党独大,不要独尊儒术,更不要虚伪的儒家。

博雅学院的东方元素,是不是行动党的另一个借口,万一和教授们有所冲突,可以以东方思维做借口,限制一些民主自由的行动。也或者是另一个借着尊儒而大行法家治国之道的变通之术,继续延续行动党的政权。

还未开学,先来正名,正民主自由之名,看来也适合。只是先让洋人提出,未免让新加坡有点失掉面子。更何况,洋人还说他们没有诬告,因为他们有历史记录,说新加坡有先例,这些都写在他们的议决案里。真想不到花钱让洋人来办博雅学院,洋人就先来跟我们正名,博一博,雅一雅,然后,才能放心的教书和研究。

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