去年底逝世的前捷克總統Vaclav Havel（哈維爾）在推翻共產專制政權之前是知名作家及異見人士。他最為人津津樂道的著作之一，是批評共產統治下各種扭曲的政治社會形態的長文"The Power of the Powerless"（《無權者的權力》），文章寫於1978年，後來收錄在Havel的文集Open Letters中。
共產統治的虛偽謊言
Havel在文中淋漓盡致地描述和批判當年捷克在共產黨意識形態下，社會上充斥著的虛偽與謊言：
"...government by bureaucracy is called popular government; the working class is enslaved in the name of the working class; the complete degradation of the individual is presented as his ultimate liberation; depriving people of information is called making it available; the use of power to manipulate is called the public control of power, and the arbitrary abuse of power is called observing the legal code; the repression of culture is called its development; the expansion of imperial influence is presented as support for the oppressed; the lack of free expression becomes the highest form of freedom; farcical elections become the highest form of democracy; banning independent thought becomes the most scientific of world views; military occupation becomes fraternal assistance."
(“……官僚控制的政府叫作人民政府；工人階級在工人階級當家作主的名義之下被奴役；個人尊嚴的淪喪說成人最終的解放；剝奪人民的資訊被稱為提供資訊；用權勢駕馭人民說成是人民掌握權力；濫權是依法辦事；壓抑文化是弘揚文化；擴張霸權勢力包裝成支持被壓制的人民；缺乏言論自由變成最高形式的自由；鬧劇式的選舉是最高的民主；禁止獨立思考變成最科學的世界觀；軍事佔領成為了團結友好的支援。”)
顛倒黑白 扭曲制度
Havel認為，最諷刺的是當權者成為了自己的謊言的俘虜（The regime is captive to its own lies），不得不繼續把一切顛倒黑白是非︰
"It falsifies the past. It falsifies the present, and it falsifies the future. It falsifies statistics. It pretends not to possess an omnipotent and unprincipled police apparatus. It pretends to respect human rights. It pretends to persecute no one. It pretends to fear nothing. It pretends to pretend nothing."
(“當權者篡改歷史，歪曲現實，虛構未來；它著造統計數據；假裝沒有無孔不入、無法無天的警察機器；扮作尊重人權、從不迫害任何人；假裝什麼都不怕及從不弄虛作假。”)
無奈的是，專權政治下的人雖然不必相信這些謊言，但他們不得不裝成深信不疑，從而成為了扭曲制度的一部分：
"They must at least tolerate them in silence, or get along well with those who work with them. For this reason, however, they must live within a lie.... For by this very fact, individuals confirm the system, fulfill the system, make the system, are the system."
(“人們至少要默許、忍受一切，和當權者好好相處。如此，每個人必然是生活在謊言中……人們確認了這個制度，完善了、製造了這制度，（變成了）這制度。”)
幾十年下來，Havel這篇文章仍然深具發性，值得一讀再讀。文︰林仕功
