沒有民族主義，還好有錢

我抗拒民族主義，根源之一是在國中時讀到"藍與黑"裡關於"春風春代子"的那一段，張醒亞大義凜然的擊斃一名日兵後，在他衣角上搜到了一張俊美的女孩子的相片，相片背面留有一首情詩，署名春風春代子。他頓悟，這個日兵也許原是個善量安分的人，被軍閥遍到中國來作戰，卻永遠回不去春代子的身邊。

近日，延續總統大選的餘波，有些拒買hTC的理論，讓我覺得要利用民族主義時可以喊得震天價響，來喔買hTC，不啱用時則隨時棄如敝屣。總之，作為一個想像的共同體，民族主義實在是太容易客制化、太好用了。

然而，嘲弄民族主義之餘，我卻相信民族主義對人類社會還是有些貢獻，特別是當拿沒有民族主義的國家來對照。

最近在新加坡部長級薪水的論辯中，"理想派"認為，擔任公職的出發點是為民服務，是無法用金錢來衡量的，"實務派"則認為有錢可使鬼推磨。李顯龍明白表示，高薪是確保可以延攬最優秀的人才擔任部長的必要手段，而他的折衷辦法就是參考業界最優秀人才的所得來訂定部長級官員的薪水。他的理由很多，例如這些部長級官員在業界的收入比任公職還多，代表他們任公職亦有為民服務的初衷、部長人選皆為風華正茂的青壯年，在人生與事業的巔峰期投入公職，他們勢必需要放棄更多或許更好的機會，對他們的家庭有莫大影響。

李顯龍的演講鏗鏘有力，自信滿滿，使人信服，其背後卻代表著新加坡說不出口的永恆難題 - 一個戰後新興國家正在苦思如何凝聚全民共識。建國才短短46年，它無法用數千年的文明來洗腦國民我們文化源遠流長、做為一個多民族國家，他無法說我們某某族如何優秀。這是一個沒有資源，完全以經濟立國的島國，它之所以存在，之所以吸引外國人才，之所以生意興隆，就是因為錢。如果賺不到錢，人們不會來新加坡，它的國民會出走。說到底，凝聚新加坡的力量，就是錢。

因為新加坡沒有本錢消費民族主義，他們鮮有民族主義的論述；因為沒有民族主義，擔任公職一事便無法提高到"以國家興亡為己任，置個人死生於度外"的層次。他們只能用錢，好多好多的錢，來確保優秀人才願意從政。李顯龍的結論很簡單 : 沒錢，萬萬不能。原句如下:

"If you have the wrong system of pay, you will have the wrong team."

他也有講白一點啦:

"Nobody will ever say, 'Sorry, the pay is too low', but we need to be honest with ourselves.For some of them, it must have been a consideration, especially the younger ones with young families and young children."

試問，除了新加坡，有哪個政府組閣時，敢這樣說? 大家都嘛是說為人民服務。可是"為人民服務"這種論述在沒有民族主義的新加坡無法被合理化。有時候，我覺得新加坡蠻可悲的，連治國的動機都和錢脫不開身。

Our Humble Request (安居)

Before jetting off to Hong Kong, I bought National Geographic magazine to read away the 3.5 hour in flight journey. This issue has a special featured series about world's growing population (now exceeding 7 billion), and argues that urbanization is a desirable solution to the demographic challenges we are now facing.

It then introduces the world's top influential cities such as NYC, London, Paris, and Asian cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore, and Seoul. A special chart is provided to rate each city's key characteristics, for example, some are financial oriented and some cultural. Of which, Singapore is ranked strong in economy but weak in culture, not surprisingly. 

In describing how urbanization helps alleviate the pain of growing population, a special emphasis is placed on Seoul's urban development, and as I thought through it, it makes a reasonable choice, for Seoul is probably the only city in the world that rises from WW2's ashes to an affluent metropolitan harboring more than 10 million people - though we can name a number of cities who has transformed from poverty to prosperity, such as the other 3 Asian Tigers, but population-wise, none of them has managed it to the extent like Seoul - a city who has  subway systems, power and water supply that suffice its 10 million people, a city where half people own their apartments.

Yeondoo Jung's Evergreen Tower, 2011.

An art work of Yeondoo Jung is then provided - The Evergreen Tower. This photography work shows a portraits of 32 families residing in the Evergreen Tower. It says:

A Place Called Home

Seoul, South Korea

These apartments in the 25-story Evergreen Tower are identical, but each family adds humanizing touches to its 150-square-foot living room—from trophies and wedding pictures to a cross and a cuckoo clock. More than half of metropolitan Seoul's 24 million residents live in high-rises, deeming them safer, more energy efficient, and a better investment than single-family dwellings. (Source)

You know what. I have always thought of those identical city apartments as inhumane and chilly, but now I thought of it, it dawns on me that they are actually the most humane establishments of the baby boomer's generation, where they raise their family in a space, no matter how humble or simple, that shelters, warms, irrigates.