目前,政界、学界对新加坡政治体制的界说不一,有“威权主义”、“咨询型法治政体”、“半威权”政体、“亚洲式民主”、“新加坡式民主”、“托管式民主”等说法。国际政治学学者北京大学潘维教授、公共政策学学者新加坡的何凯龙(HoKhaiLeong)、社会学学者北京大学张静教授、人类学学者维特·金(VictorT。King),等等,都从各自学科的角度,对这种政治体制的特点进行了争执不休的界说,而美国国务院(theUSStateDepartment)对新加坡的批评还招致新加坡政府的激烈回应。本文以新加坡独具特色的“住房问题政治化”现象为切入口,对东亚社会民主与威权的关系进行个案考察。住房问题本来属于社会问题,新加坡住房问题的特殊性是这一社会问题变成了政治问题,“居者有其屋”成为新加坡建设新社会的“关键”。新加坡独立后住房问题的政治化可以划分为三个时期:威权扩张、“住房民主”潜伏时期;“住房民主”进入“硬威权”体制时期;“住房民主”对“威权之饵”的咬和时期。本文通过对新加坡“居者有其屋民主体”(home-owningdemocracy)下的“威权”与民主关系的具体分析,指出了民主与威权对立二分的解释范式的局限性,主张采取在议会民主政治和政府威权治理之间设立“防火墙”的解释框架,即把政治领域和行政领域相对分开,前者偏重民主运作,后者偏重威权运作。本文结论是:威权体制的根基是议会民主,“居者有其屋”作为一种政治、社会利害关系的载体,是整个国家委托-代理关系(clienttopatron)的一部分。正是从这个意义上说,新加坡开辟了一种新型民主和新型政治——“拥有财产的民主体”(a“property-owningdemocracy”)以及作为解决生活问题的途径的所谓“真正的政治”。
<<In Singapore,public housing is the center gravity of society,and public housing policy is the centerpiece of the state welfare policies. At first,like others countries,the housing problem in Singapore was a social issue. When the housing shortage became a political issue,it was time to resolve the housing problems. Therefore,Singapore Housing and Development Board was setted up in 1960. As one part of the whole relations of “client to patron”,Home Ownership Scheme by SHDB is a key of nation-state building,this mainly embody in the interaction of authoritarianism and home-owning democracy. This is the hinge. Since Singapore got its independence in 1965,the politicization of housing problems have three stages. Now political circules have different definitions for Singapore’s political system. In fact,as a “property-owning democracy”,Singapore’s home-owning democracy is one new demoracy style and one true politics.
<<Keywords: | AuthoritarianismHome-owning DemocracyThe Politicization of Housing ProblemsDepolitisationRepoliticiseClient To Patron |