Sometimes I really have no clue about the tricks Alice King (金美齡) is playing. Since the controversy broke out over the Japanese comic book On Taiwan (台灣論), she has become the leading actress in the soap opera of the reunification and independence issue. She has been engaging in wild talk in the respected capacity of a national policy adviser, quite clearly devoid of any idea of what her title represents or who entrusted her with it. While claiming that she loves Taiwan, she has actually turned up the heat in the reunification-independence issue -- the most sensitive issue in Taiwan -- by stirring up the pro-independence camp in order to promote her own political stance. Thus, she selects viewpoints that are beneficial to herself while trying to blur the focus of the issue and mysticize the pro-independence camp.
Oddly, DPP members who disagree with her have been categorized as traitors who associate with the evil pro-reunification camp and are severely attacked by her followers. By contrast, DPP members who agree with her have been labeled as patriots for promoting Taiwan as an independent country. All her words are based on personal values which confuse right and wrong. Since President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was pressured by the pro-independence camp finally to speak out on March 8 -- saying that he would defend the right of free speech of his Tokyo-based adviser -- King has further seized the chance to continue to encourage populism under Chen's protection. She not only lashes out at the DPP government's "new middle way" (新中間路線), but also condemns the pro-reunification camp's "Greater China Nationalism" (大中國主義). She seems to believe that only her words reflect the true voice of Taiwan.
In fact, the more King talks, the more trouble Chen has to deal with. Since he was elected head of state on March 18 last year, Chen has repeatedly sent out goodwill messages across the Strait under pressure from the pro-reunification camp and Beijing. He has also had to comfort the pro-independence camp while also promoting his "integration" (
King's actions -- such as promoting Taiwan's independence in her capacity as a national policy adviser and entering Taiwan holding a ROC passport while publicly refusing to admit the legitimacy of the ROC -- have greatly embarrassed the president. Is she trying to help Chen or cause him problems? Moreover, while the pro-independence camp continues to promote Taiwan's independence, Beijing doesn't just sit back and watch the show but has been severely condemning the pro-independence movement, threatening Taiwan by both the pen and the sword. Under such circumstances cross-strait relations can only go backward, and tensions between the two sides will rise again, which will do no good to the business investments made in China by King's good friend Shi Wen-long (許文龍), also a national policy adviser who agrees with the views in the Japanese comic book. King should therefore reconsider her speeches to see if they run counter to what she really wants, although the answer is quite obvious.
Perhaps King should also reconsider the values of the "new middle way." This theory -- in contrast to King's criticisms of it as being obscure and stagnant -- actually represents a reflection on post-modern democratic society and is beyond the traditional left or right-wing ideals, either in the concept of social democracy (社會民主主義) or new liberalism (新自由主義). Through globalization and the formation of a civil society (公民社會), the so-called "Third Way" (第三條路) is now being developed, leading to an ideal social democracy reflecting the values of a new democratic nation (an enemy-free nation) -- a proactive "civil society" which emphasizes tolerance and equality and is compatible with world trends.
For these reasons, the UK's ruling Labor Party has adjusted its platform according to the "Third Way" theory -- first proposed by British sociologist Anthony Giddens -- and has turned into a moderate party, gaining the trust of more people.
In Taiwan's case what people really want is perhaps to maintain the status quo and promote cross-strait stability. The DPP government, by upholding the "new middle way," can overcome conflicts over the controversial reunification-independence issue and find room for Taiwan's future development.
Perhaps some might ask if the DPP is now avoiding the topic of Taiwan's independence out of opportunism. It, nevertheless, shows the practical and rational side of the party. After all, the DPP government is now having a very difficult time as the current situation and the public mood are not favorable to raising the issue. King's insistence on calling for independence, however, may destroy any chances for rational discussion of Taiwan's future and stir up more conflicts over the reunification-independence issue. As a person who loves Taiwan and supports the DPP government, she should not be causing these problems, much less in her capacity as a national policy adviser.
I hereby would like to remind King that embracing Taiwan's independence so zealously might not be the best way to promote Taiwan's independence. If she continues to ignore the current situation, she will twist the basic values of Taiwan's independence by her linear thinking. Unless King is trying to harm the cause of Taiwan's independence by her radical pro-independence platform, which may cause chaos in Taiwan and bring Japanese colonialism again, she can hardly rationalize her deeds.
Wang To is a DPP legislator.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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