市民应如此问责市政管理
Citizens have a key role to play in municipal politics
来源: Bob Mok
万民问责市府大联盟（MCCRG）是由万锦市各行各业市民组成的草根组织。该组织一直积极参与市政事务，在万锦市的政治进程中扮演着关键角色。该组织的诸多成就中，首屈一指的为其成功地阻止市议会借贷数亿元建造溜冰体育馆的项目。
Markham Citizens Coalition for Responsive Government is a grassroots organization founded by Markham citizens from across the city. The Coalition has actively involved in municipal affairs, playing a key role in Markham political process. Among other achievements, the organization has successfully stopped the city council from borrowing hundreds of millions to build a hockey arena.
在2015年4月29日召开的联盟年会上，新闻专业获奖者、《多伦多星报》退休记者Tony Van Alphen向MCCRG成员发表了充满激情的演讲。在赞赏MCCRG所取得的成就之余，Van Alphen强调，在民主社会中，市民在参与和监督市政事务中起着举足轻重的作用。
In the Coalition’s annual event on April 29, 2015 Tony Van Alphen, an award winning journalist and retired Toronto Star reporter, gave a passionate speech to the MCCRG members. Placing a high value on the MCCRG’s accomplishments, Mr. Van Alphen’s stressed the importance of citizen’s participation and oversight in Municipal politics in a democratic society.
以下是Van Alphen的讲话节选：
Below is an excerpt from that speech:
向你们这样的组织机构是非常重要的。在你们不断发展壮大，成长为一更加有效和更具影响力之际的社区组织之际，我想概述一些或许值得一提的要点和建议。
It’s about groups like you. And how really important they are. I want to outline some points and tips perhaps worth noting as you try to grow and become an even more effective and influential force.
如果像万锦市万民问责市府大联盟这样的公民组织早些面市的话，市府和省府政客可能就不会在1980年代末花费逾$6亿元以公帑为主的资金，在多伦多兴建可以让那些年轻的百万富翁从酒店房间里直接观看比赛的天虹体育馆。该体育馆虽然获得一些私人赞助，但最终仍是由纳税人买单。
If there had been a citizen group like the current one in Markham in the last few years, perhaps municipal and provincial politicians would have never built the then Sky Dome in Toronto in the late 1980s for more than $600 million in mostly taxpayer money so a bunch of young millionaires could have a playpen complete with a hotel. That stadium had some private money but in the end taxpayers were on the hook.
万锦市几个市民组织共同动员、策划和执行的大型运动，有效地阻止了一场可能导致数代纳税人背负沉重负担的金融噩梦。
A couple of local citizen groups mobilized, planned and executed a major campaign that stopped a potential financial nightmare here in Markham which could have burdened taxpayers for generations.
政府和政客已经将他们的责任抛诸脑后，同时也忘记了自己为什么会当选。他们已经被标志性建筑、桥梁或遗产项目，也就是我更愿称之为闪亮工程项目的的前景蒙蔽了双眼，并因此忽视了公交车、足球场或流浪汉庇护所的必要性。
Governments and politicians lose sight of their responsibilities and why they were elected. They are blinded by the prospect of an iconic building or bridge or legacy project, which I call a bright shiny object, instead of the necessity of buses, soccer fields or homeless shelters.
你们就像公司的股东，拥有选举、问责、支持、罢免、影响或保卫董事的权利。民主政治非常宝贵，需要你进行实施并加以保护，否则那些领导人就会知道没有人对他们进行真正的监督或关注，他们就可能恣意妄为。
You are somewhat like shareholders in a company that has the power to elect, embarrass, support, oust, influence or defend the directors. Democracy is precious. If you don’t exercise and protect it, your leaders can act with impunity, knowing no one is really watching or cares.
有些政客在讲话时总是半真半假，以期籍此实现让公众相信其谎言也可成为真理。还有一些政客则是将谎言重复一遍又一遍，以令不知情的公众相信这就是真相。
Some politicians mix lies and the truth with the eventual goal of convincing the public that the lies must be true too. There are those that repeat lies enough times that an unsuspecting public believes them to be true.
作家乔治•奥威尔曾说过“一个社会越是偏离真相，便越会憎恨那些说出真相的人。”
Writer George Orwell, once said ‘’the further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those people who speak it.’’
而我们的政府只是一味冠冕堂皇地拿“隐私权”做挡箭牌，却不愿公开那些可以帮助公众和纳税人作出更明智决策,或是揭露议会糟糕决定的重要信息，这种现象一直令我以及其他许多记者和市民惊讶不已。
But it never ceases to amaze me and a lot of other reporters and citizens what lengths our governments will argue ‘’right to privacy’’ instead of releasing information that could help the public and taxpayers make more informed decisions or know that a council make a bad decision.
在市府领导人的表现不够出色时，市民组织必须对其进行监督。每当市府或企业不想公开信息或是拖延进程时，你们都应该问问自己“他们想要隐瞒什么？以正常手续公开信息会带来什么危害？”作为纳税人，你们有权提出质疑。
Oversight - That’s what citizens groups must do when their municipal leaders don’t practice it very well. Whenever municipalities or companies don’t want to give you information or stall the process, ask yourself this. “What have they got to hide? What harm would it do to release the information at a nominal cost?” Again, it belongs to you as taxpayers.
你们在如何激发民意，以及如何与市议会进行有效对抗方面已经颇有建树。这一切都是源于深入调查、收集相关信息、弄清事实、明确用意并与公众和媒体进行有效沟通。
You gained expertise in how to galvanize public opinion and how to effectively oppose council. It starts with hard research, the collection of relevant, accurate facts, what they simply mean and effective distribution to the public and media.
这需要热情、勤奋、毅力、恒心和耐心。虽然你们不会次次都取胜，但最终你们会充满成就感，感到自己做了正确的事情。在每晚可以安然入睡无疑是件好事。
Enthusiasm, hard work, stamina, persistence, and patience. You won’t win all the time but when that eventually happens, it will leave you with a sense of accomplishment and the fact you did the right thing. It’s nice to sleep soundly at night.
（节选结束）
(End of excerpt)
如欲了解MCCRG详情，请登陆www.mccrg.org网站查看。
Web site: www.mccrg.org
MCCRG组织将继续致力于为万锦市创建一个更加民主、更加问责的市府模式。
The MCCRG group will continue to strive to create a more democratic and more responsive model of municipal government for our City of Markham.
Markham Citizens Coalition for Responsive Government is a grassroots organization founded by Markham citizens from across the city. The Coalition has actively involved in municipal affairs, playing a key role in Markham political process. Among other achievements, the organization has successfully stopped the city council from borrowing hundreds of millions to build a hockey arena.
在2015年4月29日召开的联盟年会上，新闻专业获奖者、《多伦多星报》退休记者Tony Van Alphen向MCCRG成员发表了充满激情的演讲。在赞赏MCCRG所取得的成就之余，Van Alphen强调，在民主社会中，市民在参与和监督市政事务中起着举足轻重的作用。
In the Coalition’s annual event on April 29, 2015 Tony Van Alphen, an award winning journalist and retired Toronto Star reporter, gave a passionate speech to the MCCRG members. Placing a high value on the MCCRG’s accomplishments, Mr. Van Alphen’s stressed the importance of citizen’s participation and oversight in Municipal politics in a democratic society.
以下是Van Alphen的讲话节选：
Below is an excerpt from that speech:
向你们这样的组织机构是非常重要的。在你们不断发展壮大，成长为一更加有效和更具影响力之际的社区组织之际，我想概述一些或许值得一提的要点和建议。
It’s about groups like you. And how really important they are. I want to outline some points and tips perhaps worth noting as you try to grow and become an even more effective and influential force.
如果像万锦市万民问责市府大联盟这样的公民组织早些面市的话，市府和省府政客可能就不会在1980年代末花费逾$6亿元以公帑为主的资金，在多伦多兴建可以让那些年轻的百万富翁从酒店房间里直接观看比赛的天虹体育馆。该体育馆虽然获得一些私人赞助，但最终仍是由纳税人买单。
If there had been a citizen group like the current one in Markham in the last few years, perhaps municipal and provincial politicians would have never built the then Sky Dome in Toronto in the late 1980s for more than $600 million in mostly taxpayer money so a bunch of young millionaires could have a playpen complete with a hotel. That stadium had some private money but in the end taxpayers were on the hook.
万锦市几个市民组织共同动员、策划和执行的大型运动，有效地阻止了一场可能导致数代纳税人背负沉重负担的金融噩梦。
A couple of local citizen groups mobilized, planned and executed a major campaign that stopped a potential financial nightmare here in Markham which could have burdened taxpayers for generations.
政府和政客已经将他们的责任抛诸脑后，同时也忘记了自己为什么会当选。他们已经被标志性建筑、桥梁或遗产项目，也就是我更愿称之为闪亮工程项目的的前景蒙蔽了双眼，并因此忽视了公交车、足球场或流浪汉庇护所的必要性。
Governments and politicians lose sight of their responsibilities and why they were elected. They are blinded by the prospect of an iconic building or bridge or legacy project, which I call a bright shiny object, instead of the necessity of buses, soccer fields or homeless shelters.
你们就像公司的股东，拥有选举、问责、支持、罢免、影响或保卫董事的权利。民主政治非常宝贵，需要你进行实施并加以保护，否则那些领导人就会知道没有人对他们进行真正的监督或关注，他们就可能恣意妄为。
You are somewhat like shareholders in a company that has the power to elect, embarrass, support, oust, influence or defend the directors. Democracy is precious. If you don’t exercise and protect it, your leaders can act with impunity, knowing no one is really watching or cares.
有些政客在讲话时总是半真半假，以期籍此实现让公众相信其谎言也可成为真理。还有一些政客则是将谎言重复一遍又一遍，以令不知情的公众相信这就是真相。
Some politicians mix lies and the truth with the eventual goal of convincing the public that the lies must be true too. There are those that repeat lies enough times that an unsuspecting public believes them to be true.
作家乔治•奥威尔曾说过“一个社会越是偏离真相，便越会憎恨那些说出真相的人。”
Writer George Orwell, once said ‘’the further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those people who speak it.’’
而我们的政府只是一味冠冕堂皇地拿“隐私权”做挡箭牌，却不愿公开那些可以帮助公众和纳税人作出更明智决策,或是揭露议会糟糕决定的重要信息，这种现象一直令我以及其他许多记者和市民惊讶不已。
But it never ceases to amaze me and a lot of other reporters and citizens what lengths our governments will argue ‘’right to privacy’’ instead of releasing information that could help the public and taxpayers make more informed decisions or know that a council make a bad decision.
在市府领导人的表现不够出色时，市民组织必须对其进行监督。每当市府或企业不想公开信息或是拖延进程时，你们都应该问问自己“他们想要隐瞒什么？以正常手续公开信息会带来什么危害？”作为纳税人，你们有权提出质疑。
Oversight - That’s what citizens groups must do when their municipal leaders don’t practice it very well. Whenever municipalities or companies don’t want to give you information or stall the process, ask yourself this. “What have they got to hide? What harm would it do to release the information at a nominal cost?” Again, it belongs to you as taxpayers.
你们在如何激发民意，以及如何与市议会进行有效对抗方面已经颇有建树。这一切都是源于深入调查、收集相关信息、弄清事实、明确用意并与公众和媒体进行有效沟通。
You gained expertise in how to galvanize public opinion and how to effectively oppose council. It starts with hard research, the collection of relevant, accurate facts, what they simply mean and effective distribution to the public and media.
这需要热情、勤奋、毅力、恒心和耐心。虽然你们不会次次都取胜，但最终你们会充满成就感，感到自己做了正确的事情。在每晚可以安然入睡无疑是件好事。
Enthusiasm, hard work, stamina, persistence, and patience. You won’t win all the time but when that eventually happens, it will leave you with a sense of accomplishment and the fact you did the right thing. It’s nice to sleep soundly at night.
（节选结束）
(End of excerpt)
如欲了解MCCRG详情，请登陆www.mccrg.org网站查看。
Web site: www.mccrg.org
MCCRG组织将继续致力于为万锦市创建一个更加民主、更加问责的市府模式。
The MCCRG group will continue to strive to create a more democratic and more responsive model of municipal government for our City of Markham.
网友评论
网友评论仅供其表达个人看法，并不表明大中资讯网立场。评论不可涉及非法、粗俗、猥亵、歧视，或令人反感的内容，本网站有权删除相关内容。