Fine Nation 美好国家

Singapore

新加坡

Recently, a Chinese nation lady made a big fuss in the hospital; as a result, the relevant authorities dug out more records of her unspeakable stench.

近日，有个小龙女大闹医院；于是有关部门挖出她更多不可告人的恶臭纪录。

She probably forgot that she was staying in a FINE country.

她大概忘了自己居住在一个罚款国度。

Most people's first impression of Singapore is that it is a fine nation.

大多数人对新加坡的第一印象，都会认同新加坡是个美好国家。

You can see the FINEness, the moment you are at the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station.

当你在地铁站的那一刻，你就能看到它的“美好”（罚款）。

Perhaps to many foreigners, Singapore seems to be fined for everything they do.

可能对很多外国人来说，新加坡好像干什么都会被罚款。

In fact, as long as you follow the rules, Singapore is indeed a fine country.

其实，只要你循规蹈矩，新加坡确实是个美好国家。

To be honest, not many Singaporeans have actually been fined.

说实在的没多少新加坡人真正的被罚款过。

Why Singapore has gained the reputation as a FINE nation is more or less related to Michael Fay incident.

新加坡之所以会得到罚款国家的美誉，或多或少跟迈克·菲事件有关。

In 1994, Singaporean authorities sentenced American teenager Michael Fay to be lashed six times with a cane for violating the Vandalism Act.

1994年，新加坡当局以违反《破坏公物法》为由，判处美国青少年迈克·菲鞭打六下。

67 cars were vandalised in various neighbourhoods of Singapore.

新加坡多个街区有 67 辆汽车遭到破坏。

The damage included spray painting and being pelted with eggs, and at least one had its windshield smashed.

损坏包括喷漆和被扔鸡蛋，至少一辆的挡风玻璃被砸碎。

Bill Clinton, the then-President of the United States, also called Fay's punishment "extreme" and "mistaken", and pressured the Singapore government to grant Michael Fay clemency from caning.

时任美国总统比尔·克林顿也称菲的处罚“极端”和“错误”，并向新加坡政府施压，要求对迈克·菲宽恕鞭刑。

Nevertheless, the Singapore government via Ong Teng Cheong, then the country's President, announced that the number of cane strokes would be reduced from six to four out of consideration for President Clinton as it valued the good historical relations between both countries.

然而，新加坡政府通过时任总统王鼎昌宣布，出于对克林顿总统的考虑，珍视两国之间良好的历史关系，将把鞭刑的次数从六下减少到四下。

This was a sensational headline news around the world at the time, because Singapore showed that small countries are not afraid of superpowers.

这在当年可算是轰动全球的头条新闻，因为新加坡体现了小国并不畏惧超级强国。