歌手替老妈伸冤 小心越抹越黑

国际明星通常会在全球产生巨大的影响力。那些在舞台上的杰出表演者，每次亮相都令观众如痴如醉；而那些拥有美妙歌喉的通俗曲明星可用歌声直击许多听众的心灵深处。但明星的影响力范围往往远远超出他们所使用的化妆品或是在舞台上所着的华衣彩服，有些明星会利用其人气和名人效应发挥影响力，以推广个人见解或达到个人目的。但是，在明星试图利用其影响力帮家人申辩或脱罪时必须谨言慎行，并小心其双刃剑的效应。

Celebrities usually have tremendous influence on people all around the world. They are excellent performers on stage whose appearances exert appeals to audiences or their beautiful voices can resonate with a wide range of listeners. Many celebrities tend to extend their influence far beyond cosmetic products they use or an outfit they wear on stage. They use their popularity and fame as an influential tool to advance their personal opinion or agenda.  But when celebrities use it to defend or try to exonerate wrongdoings of a family member, they must tread carefully and be aware that it is a double edged sword. 

居住在温哥华的华裔白金销量流行歌手曲婉婷在其母张明杰被中国当局拘押后，于近日发声为遭遇政治灾难的母亲伸冤。曾任哈尔滨市府官员的张明杰目前面临贪污受贿等指控，并将很快接受审讯。

Wanting Qu, a Chinese platinum selling pop star singer living in Vancouver recently spoke out about the political ordeal of her mother, Zhang Mingjie, as she has been detained by the Chinese authorities. Zhang, a former municipal politician in Harbin, is now facing charges ranging from corruption to taking bribes. A scheduled trial will soon be underway.

据曲婉婷透露，张明杰在被关押期间曾有210天被禁止见律师，并且曾抱怨睡眠不足和缺医少药。曲婉婷称：“母亲曾经说过好几次‘我已经受不了了！’”

According to Qu, Ms. Zhang was barred from seeing lawyers for 210 days, and has since complained of sleep deprivation and poor access to medicine. “There were a few times she said, ‘I can’t handle this anymore,’” said Qu.

但是，曲婉婷欲为其母伸冤却有可能达不到预想之目的，它反而会使张明杰自身问题更加引起公众关注，起到欲盖弥彰之下反作用。曲欲利用其明星影响力达到个人目的，则可能事与愿违，甚至引火烧身。

 

However, Qu’s effort to help out her mother could also put Zhang’s wrongdoings under increased scrutiny. If she tries to use her influence to advance her personal agenda, it may not work in her favor or even turn ugly for her.

据中国媒体报道称，曲婉婷自2000年赴加国留学后，在家庭资助下就读了温哥华的多所学校。但是像张明杰这种资历水平的中国政府官员当时每月的税后基本工资只有$1400美元左右，这不禁会令人们怀疑像张明杰这样年收入的单亲母亲如何负担得起其女儿每年超过$1万美元的学费和生活费。

According to reports from Chinese media, since 2000, when Qu left for Canada, she has attended a series of schools in Vancouver on her family’s financial support. But the annual salary baseline for Zhang’s seniority level as a government official was at only about $1400 a month after taxes, leading to skepticism of how Zhang, a single mother could possibly afford her daughter’s tuition and living expenses of over $10,000 per year. 

曲婉婷坚称自己的学费并非来自于非法所得，而是向亲友借取。曲婉婷在接受《环球邮报》采访时称：“我母亲自有办法，她通过向亲友借钱供我上学。”曲婉婷同时还回忆称，她和母亲曾经谈论过中国国家主席习近平发起的反腐运动，当时母亲曾告诉她“我没有做过这种事情，不必担心。”

Qu has been adamant that the money wasn’t obtained by illicit means but came from family and friends. “My mom – she finds her ways. She borrows money from friends and family to support me,” Ms. Qu told the Globe, and recalled that her mother said back then: “I’m not doing any of that, don’t worry,” referring to Chinese president XI Jinping’s campaign against corruption. 

但毫无疑问的是，曲婉婷对其加国留学费用的资金来源所作的牵强解释难以令中国当局以及公众信服。实际上，她的这种说辞早已是老掉牙惯用说辞，与其他许多利用职权谋私利或是赚取不义之财的中国政客们解释在其资产来源时所惯用之借口如出一辙。

Undoubtedly, Qu has provided an extremely weak explanation for the source of the money that supported her studies in Canada that can hardly convince anyone – from Chinese authorities to the public opinions. In fact, her explanation is one of the oldest tricks in the book and are no different than the excuses of thousands of other political elites in China – who use their power and status to advance their own interest or to make ill-gotten gains.

报道称，在张明杰的领导下，一个农场再开发项目的资产在几经易手后，最终仅以比原价低数倍的价格给由张明杰哥哥担任副总经理的公司。该事件使中国共产党的反腐机构对张明杰展开调查。

According to the report, under Zhang’s watch, a property for a farm redevelopment project was eventually sold at a fraction of its value, after changing hands several times, to a company where Ms. Zhang’s brother works as a deputy general manager. This prompted an investigation into Zhang’s affairs by the Communist Party’s anti-corruption bureau.

因此曲婉婷的公开声明非但不能达到激发公众的同情心的效应，反而还会令张的问题暴露于光天化日之下，使其遭到更为严厉公众质疑。

Worse yet, Qu’s statements may undermine public sympathy she intends to elicit, and put her mother under increased scrutiny over the alleged wrongdoings.