The vernal equinox, the first day of spring, falls on March 20 this year. The vernal equinox of this year will be the day of Taiwan's destiny. Today's election will decide not just who will be the president, or whether the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-People First Party (PFP) alliance will rule the next four years, the outcome will also determine Taiwan's destiny.
After enduring nearly four decades of White Terror under martial law, Taiwan finally evolved into a democracy in the late 1980s. Many factors contributed to this development. The US recognized the PRC and cut off diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan in 1979. Taiwan became increasingly isolated from the international community. With industrialization, native Taiwanese began to gain wealth and leverage over the government. The lower ranks of the military and bureaucracy and even the KMT itself were increasingly filled with native Taiwanese. The US government, particularly the Congress, became critical of the authoritarian practices of the KMT government, such as the violation of civil rights as exhibited in the persecution of the "Kaohsiung Eight."
When the tang wai (outside the party) movement of political dissidents, which demanded a right to participate in the political process, became irresistible, then-president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) reluctantly acquiesced in the emergence of the DPP political opposition.
Taiwan's democratization took place not because the autocratic government suddenly became enlightened, but in spite of the KMT's long years of resistance to democratic reform. The ascendancy of Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) to the presidency and his reform efforts during his 12 years in office were instrumental in advancing the pro-cess of democratization. However, many KMT politicians and officials who were born in China have never been able to shed their anti-democratic instincts or their basic allegiance to the dream of a unified China.
This is why KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) oppose the referendum, even though it represents a legitimate deepening of Taiwan's democracy and it will enable the people to declare to the whole world their desire to protect Taiwan's sovereignty and to peacefully coexist with the PRC.
The pan-blue alliance has never gracefully accepted defeat in the 2000 election. Instead of acting as a loyal opposition of a normal democracy, the opposition parties have obstructed every substantive reform proposal the government has presented, thus paralyzing the government time and again. The KMT-PFP alliance then used the pro-China electronic and print media to blame the stalemate on the government's ineptitude.
The pan-blue alliance is adept in making use of the freedom of speech to scuttle democratic institutions but it has no respect for the freedom of speech. When the Special Report series of VCDs criticizing certain KMT-PFP politicians was released several months ago, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) ordered them confiscated in his city, in clear violation of the Constitution.
If Lien wins the presidency, anti-democratic repression is likely to raise its ugly head and Taiwan's hard-won freedom will begin to erode.
Even more worrisome is what a Lien-Soong victory will do to Taiwan's future status. Both men have professed their goal of eventual unification with China. Lien, the self-proclaimed 100 percent pure Chinese, has pledged to travel to Beijing on a mission of peace as soon as he is elected. The PRC will not permit his pilgrimage to Beijing as the president of the ROC. Lien must go there as the governor of the Taiwan Province of the PRC. The trip will be tantamount to surrender of sovereignty and Taiwan's acceptance of Bei-jing's claim that it is part of the PRC.
A Lien government could then implement the direct links, promote integration of Taiwan's economy with that of China, including faster outflow of capital, technology and technical and management manpower to China, and encourage Chinese investment in Taiwan's industry, real estate and media. Taiwan's gate can also be opened wide to infiltration by China's intelligence agents, special operations troops and People's Liberation Army (PLA) officers. The size of Taiwan's military can be reduced steadily until its capacity to resist PRC aggression becomes insignificant. The pro-China media can be encouraged to propagate unification ideology. Sometime before 2008 Taiwan may be rendered so weak that Lien would be able to deliver it peacefully into the PLA's grasp.
The above scenario is quite plausible, given the Lien-Soong team's "one China" complex. To them, Taiwan is essentially a barbarian region destined to be ruled by the central authority of the Middle Kingdom. Their allegiance is to China. Kneeling and kissing Taiwan's earth one week before election day is eye-catching theater. But the love of Taiwan the gesture was supposed to demonstrate appeared insincere in view of the pair's anti-democratic and anti-Taiwanization deeds while in power.
Taiwan's 400-year-old history is an incessant struggle for liberty against alien rulers. Although those struggles were valiant, Taiwan's forebears never had a realistic chance to build an independent nation, even though the island was an independent kingdom from 1662 to 1683, and for several months in 1895 under the banner of the Taiwan Democratic Republic. Post-World War II developments made it possible for Taiwan to become a de facto independent state. This status quo can be maintained, but only if the people commit themselves to a democratic future and show their willingness to strive hard to keep their sovereignty and democracy.
All Taiwanese who cherish liberty, security and dignity must vote for the right team today. The freedom of their children and grandchildren depends on the right choice. The election itself is a momentous referendum on Taiwan's destiny. The vernal equinox is the first day of spring. It could symbolize the dawn of a bright new age for Ilha Formosa.
Li Thian-hok is a freelance commentator based in Pennsylvania.
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under