維州前州長安德魯斯出席了在北京舉行的中國抗戰八十週年閱兵慶典, 與世界極權領袖的合照, 引來了極大爭議。

在9 月3日, 中國、俄羅斯、及朝鮮三位共產主義領袖習近平、普京及金正恩合在一起, 向全球民主國家展示了這三個極權共產國家已建成了聯盟, 對抗西方一盤散沙的民主國家。而安德魯斯, 卻因著個人事業的發展, 成為了民主國家稀有的「代表」出席了這次活動。我慨嘆這位曾經通過民主選舉長期管治維州的政治領袖, 原來只是把民主看成為爭取政治地位的工具, 而非真的信服民主價值。在個人利益之下, 安德魯斯竟然甘願為極權政治背書, 成為宣傳工具。

安德魯斯在維州長期執政, 確實得到了不少人的支持, 不過他在任期間, 也有很多人視他為只求成效但不尊重民意且欠缺誠信操守的政治領袖。他以不負責任的大量借貸, 來支持維州極多基礎建設項目, 在短時間內改善了維州就業、經濟、社會服務等民生需要, 卻導至今天維州債台高築、稅負苛重、及經濟低迷的狀況。接任的工黨州長艾倫, 在管治維州面對足襟見肘的困境, 很大程度就是因為安德魯斯時代留下的包袱。從這方面看來, 安德魯斯與今天極權國家的領袖, 沒有兩樣, 就是要求人民放下權利及監察, 把一切都交給被視為有能力及遠見的領袖所處理便是。

不過, 在民意下滑及經濟開始出現間題初期, 安德魯斯便及時引退, 轉而從商, 追求個人利益。這可算是西方民主社會制度給維州的保護網, 就是極權者總不能長期延續得到人民授權, 永久管治下去。

但這種強人管治, 也可以被視為今天西方社會的新浪潮。美國特朗普總統雖然是通過民主選舉成為最有權力的行政領袖, 在上任後卻漠視法制及民意, 以極端政策打壓異見者。這說明濫用權力者, 在民主國家管治中, 也會有漠視民意的行徑。或許特朗普相信, 只要他的政策能在一定時間內取得成效, 他仍可以在下次選舉中繼續得到人民支持, 管治下去。而且特朗普似乎相信, 他可以操控人民接收的信息, 把他的極權, 包裝為勇氣及領導能力。他明顯地相信,他的極權只要堅持到一部份人民能取得到實質利益, 他就可以繼續取得授權管治。

這正是令人覺得可怕的事, 不過我仍然相信具備民主素養的人民, 不是極權者能長期所欺騙的。

周偉文, 社長

The Terror of Strongman Rule

Former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews attended the 80th Anniversary Military Parade commemorating China’s resistance against Japan, held in Beijing. His appearance in group photos with authoritarian world leaders sparked great controversy.

On September 3, the communist leaders of China, Russia, and North Korea—Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-un—gathered to send a message to the democratic nations of the world: these three authoritarian communist regimes have now formed an alliance to confront the fragmented democratic West. Andrews, however, stood out as a rare “representative” from a democratic country, attending this event, seemingly for the sake of his personal career development.

It is disheartening to realize that a political leader who had long governed Victoria through democratic elections may have only viewed democracy as a tool for attaining political status, rather than genuinely believing in its values. For personal gain, Andrews was willing to endorse authoritarian politics and became a propaganda instrument.

During his long tenure as Premier of Victoria, Andrews indeed enjoyed considerable support. However, many also saw him as a leader who prioritized results at the expense of public opinion, integrity, and transparency. He irresponsibly took on massive debt to fund numerous infrastructure projects in Victoria. Those temporarily improved employment, economy and social services had led to today’s dire situation: Victoria is now deeply in debt, burdened with heavy taxation, and facing economic stagnation.The current Labor Premier, Jacinta Allan, is now governing under extremely tight constraints—largely a result of the legacy left behind by Andrews. In this sense, Andrews is not much different from today’s authoritarian leaders: expecting people to surrender their rights and oversight, and entrusting everything to a supposedly capable and visionary leader.

However, when public opinion declined and the economy began to show signs of trouble, Andrews retired in a timely manner and shifted to the private sector to pursue personal interests. This may be seen as the safety net offered by Western democratic systems—authoritarian figures cannot indefinitely retain public mandate or rule forever.

Yet, this style of strongman governance can also be seen as a new wave in Western societies. U.S. President Donald Trump, although elected through democratic means, blatantly ignored the rule of law and public opinion after taking office, using extreme policies to suppress dissents. This shows that even in democracies, those who abuse power would disregard the will of the people.

Perhaps Trump believed that as long as his policies produced results within a certain period, he could continue to gain public support and remain in power. Furthermore, Trump seemed to believe he could control the information received by the public, repackaging his authoritarianism as courage and leadership. He clearly believed that as long as some people materially benefited from his rule, he could continue to win their mandate.

This is precisely what makes strongman politics so frightening. Nevertheless, I still believe that citizens who are equipped with democratic awareness cannot be deceived by authoritarian rulers forever.

Mr Raymond Chow, Publisher