道格•福特：夸夸奇谈还是胡达克再现？

 

四年前，保守党领袖胡达克曾在安省竞选投票前誓言削减10万名政府公职职位。胡达克的这一竞选策略很快被证实是盲目，冲动而偏激的，它不仅让保守党在竞选中惨遭败北，还让胡达克痛失党魁职位。

Four years ago, Tim Hudak made a campaign pledge to cut 100,000 public sector jobs. It was proven to be an ill-considered radical move, which has not only led the party to its fateful demise, but also cost Hudak’s PC leadership position.

因此，高喊“大幅削减政府职位”是会引火烧身的。对这根不可触摸的政治神经，道格•福特在周一的电视辩论中当然会避而远之。但他提出的在不放弃公职的前提下每年削减60个亿政府开支的计划则引起辩论中两名对手的强烈质疑。在韦恩和霍华兹对其发起的攻击战中，她们强调福特的计划无疑会导致数千名教师和护士遭到解雇。目前安省政府85%的支出用于支付政府员工的工资，因此为了削减每10亿元支出，则须砍掉7000名教师职位。

Massive public sector job cuts is a political minefield that the current PC leader Doug Ford would try to avoid in the televised debate on Monday. But his plan to cut $6-billion a year in spending without layoffs has drew fierce scrutiny from his rivals and led attacks from Mrs. Wynne and Mrs. Horwath that thousands of teachers and nurses would be fired. Giving that 85 percent of government spending is on salaries, it would take 7000 teachers’ job to save $1 billion. 

对那些以让安省改朝换代，面目一新为目的而投票的安省选民来说，福特显然是最佳人选。他的那句最著名的“为小民做主”的口号的确让我们这些在来源国的政治坛上毫无一席之地，在政选中备受忽视，冷落的族裔社区选民们感激涕零。而他借助安省老百姓之强烈不满之心而竭力反击政府浪费的标语更是深得华裔选民之人心。对那些信奉勤俭持家之原则，并籍此度过了从家乡到异乡的一个又一个的经济困境人士来说，福特说出了他们的心里话。

For voters whose only criterion is change – a government as different as possible in character from the current one – Mr. Ford is the obvious choice. His popular “fight for little guys” slogan has really won the heart of those who were utterly forgotten and ignored by the political elites in their home country. His attacks on excessive government spending by tapping into the rage of Ontarians have resonated well with the immigrant community. For those who have survived the economic hardship – both at home and in the adopted land – by relying on the value of frugality, Ford’s voice was just too close to home.  

的确，福特的竞选口号在移民社区乃至全安省引起共鸣：谁不希望能控制住这匹脱缰的政府开支之野马，遏制那不断攀升的债务/生产总值之比？但尽管霍华兹在辩论中咄咄逼人地反复要求福特公开其削减开支的详细措施，福特却支吾不语，数次回避话题，其表现只能让观众感到他根本无力反驳两位对手发起的攻击，以及他将大量缩减服务或解聘公职之指控。

Indeed, his slogans will have political appeal to the immigrant communities and beyond: Who wouldn’t want to tame a wild government budget and to control the soaring debt to GDP ratio. But Ford, who failed to provide any specifics of his cost cutting strategy during the debate – despite repeated demands from the NDP leader, seemed defenseless to accusations that his quest for savings would lead to deep cuts and layoffs.

显然，如果福特不能清楚而详细地告知选民他将如何改进政府效率，削减开支，那么他的那些竞选口号要么是一句空话，要么他将重蹈胡达克败北之覆辙。

Apparently, without an articular clear strategy for finding government efficiencies, Ford’s campaign pledge is either a hollow promise or may lead him to repeat Hudak’s fateful path.