On April 20, Chinese authorities announced the dismissal of Minister of Health Zhang Wenkang (張文康) and Beijing Mayor Meng Xuenong (孟學農). President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) fired Zhang -- who is Central Military Commission Chairman Jiang Zemin's (江澤民) private physician and confidante -- because the ministry was hiding the truth about the epidemic, and that its handling of SARS was weak and inappropriate. But it also implies a show of power aimed at Jiang.
The mayor of Beijing was appointed by Hu himself, and they both belonged to the Communist Youth League of China. Hu removed Meng as well in a show of impartiality. If the SARS situation spins out of control, Hu may become yet another of its victims.
It could be said that Zhang, who has been habitually cheating both superiors and subordinates as well as adopting deceptive public policies, got what was coming to him when he was dismissed. On Chinese Web sites, he has been discussed along with Iraq's former information minister Mohammed Saeed Al-Sahaf as famous sources of false news.
At the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva in May last year, Zhang objected to Taiwan's desire to join the organization, preposterously saying that Taiwan wasn't a nation and that it wasn't a member of the UN. He wasn't ashamed of boasting that China was capable of caring for the health of its 23 million compatriots on Taiwan.
After the meeting, I denounced Zhang's ridiculous lies at a press conference, where I revealed that there were millions of AIDS victims in China. I also revealed Beijing's loathsome behavior in hiding the truth both domestically and internationally and its disregard of human life.
The international community has severely criticized the Chinese government for its handling of SARS and its erroneous methods. This includes the attitudes that family secrets shall be kept in the family and that illness therefore shall be concealed rather than telling a doctor. China thus treated the epidemic as a state secret, banned all media reports and refused to cooperate with World Health Organization (WHO) experts. This resulted in SARS spreading throughout China and also to other countries.
The April 26 edition of the The Economist used the question "Could it Become China's Chernobyl?" to describe Beijing's way of handling this virus and man-made disaster.
A few days ago, officials from the Ministry of Health did not forget to make announcements completely void of credibility. They said they "were willing to help Taiwan obtain the necessary assistance from the WHO." In fact, China can hardly take care of itself as it is facing an unprecedented epidemic.
What qualifications and capabilities does China have to care for the health of the people of Taiwan? The international community is of the opinion that the spread of SARS greatly improves the legitimacy and persuasiveness of a case for Taiwanese participation in the WHO. This is the strong impression gained during a lobbying tour beginning April 21 that took me and eight other legislators to the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Austria.
We reminded members of parliament (MPs), officials, academics and media in these countries that:
The SARS epidemic highlights the dangers and irrationality of keeping Taiwan from participating in the WHO disease report and response network.
The WHO constitution states that, "The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition." The WHO must not neglect the health of the 23 million people in this country.
According to the WHO Constitution, every nation may become a member of the organization. The Cook Islands and Niue are members of the WHO even though they are not members of the UN. Taiwan is an independent health entity with a sound health care system and good human resources capable of meeting the targets specified in the WHO Constitution. It should not be blocked due to political factors, such as the "one China" principle.
To bypass the wrangling over political issues, Taiwan is only looking to participate in the WHO as an observer. Taiwan has stationed medical delegations in Burkina Faso, Malawi, Chad and San Tomei, and it participates in cooperation programs for fighting disease in several African states. Last year it donated funds to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria.
This country is very willing to share its resources and experience, but due to being shut out of the WHO, we cannot do all we are capable of.
This lobbying tour to Europe brought rich results. MPs from each party in both houses of the Dutch parliament, including the chairman of the foreign affairs committee, all pledged their support. Both houses of the Czech parliament signed up in support of Taiwan becoming an observer to the WHO.
When we visited the Czech senate on April 23, Josef Jarab, the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Thomas Julinek, chairman of the Committee on Health and Social Policy, gave us a welcome dinner. Jarab presented us with a letter supporting WHO observer status for Taiwan, signed by 26 senators. The letter was accepted by me on behalf of Taiwan. The letter was signed in concert with the EU's resolution calling for China to dismantle the missiles it has deployed in the south of the country.
In a committee meeting at the WHA meeting in Geneva last year, the Czech vice minister of health advocated that the WHO respect the "universality" principle, indirectly supporting Taiwan's participation in WHO. When meeting the legislative delegation, he was friendly and enthusiastic, and was preparing to lend his full support to Taiwan's demands together with other European countries and the US.
In Poland, many MPs, including the chairmen of the health committees and members of the foreign affairs committees of both the Sejm and the senate, showed their support and were about to sign a call urging the government to support Taiwan's participation in the WHO. Further, the president and vice president of the Polish Medical Association handed over a copy of their letter to the WHO director-general urging the organization to accept Taiwan's participation.
On April 29, I met with the chairman, vice chairman and two other members of the European Parliament-Taiwan Friendship Group in Brussels in my capacity as chairman of the Taiwan-Europe Parliamentary Exchange Association to discuss strategies for Taiwan's WHO bid.
This week, ahead of the WHO's annual meeting next Monday, the European Parliament will suggest that the European Commission issue a declaration in support of Taiwan participating in WHO activities as an observer. The European Parliament will also pass a resolution in concert with the Commission's declaration. An Asia work group made up of the directors of the Asian sections of the foreign ministries of all 15 EU members have also reached a preliminary consensus to seek a "practical solution" in support of Taiwanese participation in WHO activities.
The EU's declarations in support of Taiwan are another important breakthrough following last year's show of support by the US and Japan. After 1997, the money and effort invested by all sectors of Taiwanese society and overseas Chinese in coordination with the government's effort to participate in the WHO have created substantive results.
Even though we cannot set a specific date for Taiwan's becoming an observer, it no longer lies in the distant future. It should be possible to achieve within three years.
Parris Chang is a DPP legislator.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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