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王乙康回应耶鲁-国大取消异议课程事件 亚菲言脸书澄清数点

by Yee Loon
07/10/2019
in 公民社会, 国会, 新闻, 舆论, 言论自由
Reading Time: 1 min read
0

上月中旬,耶鲁—国大学院临时取消一门名为《新加坡的异议与抵抗》的课程。有关课程将由新加坡知名剧作家亚菲言(Alfian Sa’at),与参与学生探讨本土的公民抗命模式。

此后美国耶鲁大学总校对此展开调查,包括耶鲁—国大教员以及原本负责策划课程的亚菲言(Alfian Sa’at)会面,了解来龙去脉,表示课程没有影响学术自由与开放审视,取消课程是考虑到学术要求和法律问题。

对此,包括宏茂桥集选区议员殷丹博士、马林百列集选区议员谢健平、官委议员特斯拉博士和王丽婷等人,都对此事深表关注,在国会作出提问,质问课程遭腰斩的原因,或此举是否意味着对学府内的学术环境更为受控和僵化?

教育部长王乙康在回答议员提问时则解释,“本地学府被用来进行党派政治平台,表达对政府异议,不是空穴来风”,而教育部了解有关课程后也表达了担忧。

他说,课程也让学生参观芳林公园和展示示威标语,而这可能让学生面对触法的风险。

此外,邀请社运分子范国瀚、施兰巴莱等曾因公共秩序有关罪行被定罪的人物;以及邀请《新叙事》的负责人覃炳鑫和韩俐颖等人,他指两人接受“外国资金”。

王乙康似乎对亚菲言近日来在脸书发表的贴文做功课,他引述亚菲言在本月5日(周六)的贴文,指后者提到复兴“新加坡学生运动”,特别是在“政治自觉化”等领域。

实际上,亚菲言的原贴文是指,耶鲁国大有许多学生关心他的近况,他赞扬许多大学生都很聪明敏锐,并且受到强烈道德正义感驱使。他认为,这似乎某种程度上有一部分,是源于新加坡学生运动的复兴,特别是在政治自觉、气候变化、性别权益等领域。

王乙康称:“负责有关课程的个人可以保有对新加坡的看法,甚至公开在社交媒体,但我们是否应让这种政治异议存在于我们的教育中?”

有者认为学府享有学术自由,培养学生批判精神,甚至异议能有助促进民主。但王乙康指出,考量所有因素和涉及的人物,会发现“这是有动机和目的的课程”。

教育部不能容许学府展开这类活动,政治自觉化也非纳税人对教育的观点。

亚菲言:修改后提案未邀覃炳鑫

不过,随着教育部长在国会亲自回应此事,当事人亚菲言也很快在脸书回应,并澄清数点,其一,他指出在检讨后的教程提案,并没有再邀请学者覃炳鑫。只有韩俐颖一人。

至于所谓上述两人接受“外国资金”,他更指出有必要探讨有关资金来自什么组织或单位?因为即便资金来自美国,但如果是个别机构,不代表他们和美国政府持相同立场。故此一再指责有来自敌对外国势力的影响是空泛的。

事实上,王乙康在国会上,还提及亚菲言在1998年创作的诗《新加坡你不是我的国家》(Singapore You Are Not My Country),指后者在一些言论也似乎偏袒马来西亚多于自己的国家,也对国家充满忧虑,包括我国种族关系。

表达政策忧虑不应和国家意识形态混为一谈

对此,亚菲言直言,自己的诗歌能在国会中在这种情境下被朗诵,五味杂陈,但他也直言,自己亦写过不少赞美新加坡的诗例如《酒店》,《纳迪拉》(Nadirah),《猴子西行》等等。

再者,他反驳对政府政策表达忧虑,为何要和国家意识形态混为一谈?

至于王乙康指亚菲言曾提及,“特别是在政治自觉化等方面的新加坡学运复兴”,对此亚菲言直言,自己在课程教材、任何简介叙述,都不曾使用“自觉化”一词,这个词只出现在他的脸书帖文中。他根本不是这样看待自己拟定的课程的。

“再者,让人们意识到生活的压迫,使他们采取行动抵抗压迫的因素,会是坏事吗?如果某人在糟糕的处境,难道要他逆来顺受?难道不想做点什么,写给媒体、写给议员、发起联署,乃至于支持那些承诺较少压迫的政党?”

亚菲言称课程坦荡荡没隐议程

至于被王乙康指课程存有“隐议程”,亚菲言直言,那他大可让《异议和抵抗》这名字换成较不那么刺眼的《谈判和对话》或《冲突和共识》;不会公然说明有“示威标语工作坊”,而改成“美术课”;“民主课程”更名为“引导式讨论”。

“所有事都公开的,没有隐议程,我只想让学生了解艺术家如何去制造和捍卫异议的空间。”

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