Taiwan and China are diametrically opposite of each other on many, many things. But now it appears the two have actually integrated in at least one way. Yesterday, the Taiwan government decided to place the author of the much reviled Japanese comic book On Taiwan (台灣論), Yoshinori Kobayashi (小林善紀), on the list of unwelcome persons and prohibit his entry next week. The Ministry of Interior's move reminds us of those not-so-long-ago days of martial law, when Taiwan's political dissidents were banned from returning home. The so-called "black list," which we thought was only a bad memory from before Taiwan's democratization, has been resurrected. Freedom of speech in Taiwan has backtracked to the level in China. The ministry's order is out of step with modern Taiwan by at least a decade.
However, the ministry says it has its reasons for taking action against a man whose book has offended so many people here. The ministry cited Kobayashi's talk and views, saying he "affects our national dignity and claim on sovereignty," and "risks injuries to our national interests."
On Taiwan has indeed triggered an uproar. Many people find it hard to accept Kobayashi's right-winged views. The book's quoting of Chi Mei Corporation president Shi Wen-lung
This newspaper has twice pointed out the inaccuracies in the book. However, we still maintain that Shi's and Kobayashi's freedom of speech must be respected, since it is protected by our Constitution. The use of government authority to ban Kobayashi from Taiwan constitutes a violation of his freedom of speech. Virtually all of the high-ranking officials in the present government fought hard against the KMT in the past to win this precious democratic freedom; they should not be so willing to let it go now. A verdict on the rights and wrongs of Kobayashi's comments should not be made by our government. It is something to be done through social discussions.
What the government ought to do is demand compensation from the Japanese government for the comfort women and tell the people what truly happened in Taiwan during Japanese colonialization, rather than being swayed by public outbursts.
If Kobayashi is barred because his words hurt "our national dignity and claim on sovereignty," then what right does Taiwan have to condemn China for interfering with overseas visits by former president Lee Teng-hui
If Kobayashi protests against his exclusion to the international community, Taiwan will become a laughing stock, destroying its hard-won democratic image overnight. This is utterly misguided. Before the joke becomes a reality, we hope that the Ministry of Interior will correct is own mistake.
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