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誰的誠信?

2012年香港接二連三爆出高官僭建(違例建築)和貪污醜聞,觸發民憤,尤其是現任行政長官靠針對選舉對手的僭建而贏得寶座,但上台後回應自家住宅的僭建時卻閃爍其詞,引來陣陣要求其下台的呼聲。反對者對行政長官和現政府最不滿的其中一點,是香港的「核心價值」正不斷受侵蝕,例如司法獨立和高度自治正受外力越來越大的干擾,高官的廉潔奉公形象被一連串醜聞沾污。

但此乃政治上的「核心價值」,其實這些醜聞也是香港真正的「核心價值」的照妖鏡。 元旦日其中一場反行政長官的大型遊行,主辦單位不肯接受學術界較客觀且有學術基礎的方法統計人數。遊行人數多寡,是政治能量的一種反映,「報大數」當然對主辦單位有好處,過往也每每出現主辦單位公佈的遊行人數遠超警方和學者的估計,學者制定一套幾經推敲而更有說服力和公信力的估計方法,採用了本來更可取信於民,但主辦單位不採納,學者也無可奈何,報章說:「他稱泛民(反對現行政治制度的一眾政黨)常以『誠信』二字批評政府,他也『愛之深、責之切』,望民陣(元旦遊行的主辦者)能處理問題。」(原文在此

學者客氣沒直言不韙,但他大概還有如此結論:祇許遊行主辦人要求別人有誠信,不准他人向遊行主辦人談誠信。

行政長官對僭建問題的辯解,令人覺得其堆砌言詞以蒙混過關,試圖以文字遊戲(或現今流行說的「語言偽術」)掩飾己過,不是要為他開脫,在外國民主社會的高官如此行徑也屢見不鮮,卻也為民眾所不屑,香港市民不滿行政長官反應實屬正常。但香港是怎樣的社會,大家心知肚明,香港真正的「核心價值」,實際上包括「走精面」(看風頭)、「搵著數」(圖點便宜)、「唔肯蝕底」(不會吃虧)和「唔衰得」(不認低威),行政長官用語言帶大家遊花園,試問港人在工作場所和待人接物,誰沒有使出過這招數?就算你想獨善其身,想實話實說,對方也不一定受落。一個回流香港的醫生撰文,說他憑良心道德告訴病人和家屬對病情背後的原因不完全知曉,會令他們不信任其能力,他道出其感受:「剛毅木訥近仁,但香港人不buy這一套,巧言令色,虛偽浮誇,才能在商業社會站得住腳。」(原文在此

香港人普遍誠信高嗎?我入世尚淺(亦久沒在港長期生活),但相信不少人都因受別人擺弄、欺騙或誤信他人而吃過苦頭。也有評論人說,勾心鬥角的電視劇在香港普遍受追捧的其中一個原因,是香港人事和環境複雜,劇中爾虞我詐的情節很易引起其鳴。我們要求為政者光明磊落、信守諾言,本非甚麼苛求,因為信任乃人與人交際的基礎,人民對政府在這方面有嚴厲的監察亦無可厚非,但苛以待人之餘,大家又有沒有嚴以律己,和藉此反省社會這方面的價值取向和集體行為?一年伊始,趁事情還未紛亂之時,但願大家都思考思考,香港應如何更好向一個誠信社會邁進。

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