The meeting between President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Shih Ming-teh (施明德) brought some small amount of moderation into the post-election confusion. Compared to Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良) -- another former DPP chairman -- who bet everything on one throw with his biased behavior, Shih is far more refined.
Judging from Shih's demeanor, he will not behave in the same way as Hsu -- demanding treatment as a senior politician while criticizing the government for personal benefit. Chen showed respect by listening to Shih's dissenting opinion. Chen, one of the lawyers for the Kaohsiung Incident defendants, and Shih, a democracy activist who spent years in prison for his beliefs, both played important roles in the political reforms of the 1980s. It is obvious, however, that the new situation in Taiwan is a test for those who love this land.
The process begun by the transfer of power in 2000 is now being extended into a second presidential term for Chen, implying that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rule will not return to Taiwan. At a deeper level, it also implies that the Taiwanese nation is taking shape while the Chinese nation is fading. Taiwan has a particular history -- surviving two 20th century colonial governments to come out facing a new century requires great reconstruction and reform.
At this moment in time, we should place some hope in Shih.
Chen, the DPP and Taiwanese society could perhaps put their trust in Shih -- a man who may enjoys the trust of the pan-blue camp and its followers -- and ask him to serve as chairman of a truth and reconciliation commission to lead the nation out of its tragic history toward an era of reconstruction.
Before the DPP gained power, Shih proposed -- prematurely -- a "great reconciliation." The time for that idea is now here. Shih also talks about a truth investigation -- the truth of the KMT's post-war rule, not the narrow truth about the March 19 shootings that the KMT and the People First Party (PFP) are currently talking about. Conciliation and truth are interrelated, and I think it would be appropriate to have Shih participate as chairman of such a commission.
South Africa offers a recent example of truth and reconciliation, a political project that followed on former president Nelson Mandela's transformation from political prisoner to president -- a black man replacing a white man as the nation's leader -- and the localization of the colonial government. Chen and the DPP should have initiated a similar project in 2000.
The historical truth must be laid bare for reconciliation to stand a chance. The purpose is to make the truth known, to remember. We may forgive but we must not forget. In South Africa, as in Taiwan, a colonial system was localized, a colonial power with no motherland and no hinterland. Compared to South Africa with its different colored peoples, Taiwan's problem is more straightforward. Regrettably, the political project surrounding the transfer of power suffered severely from a lack of deeper historical and cultural understanding.
Let's look to South Africa before it is too late. Truth and reconciliation efforts should place the responsibility for the crimes of the ruling colonial power on those who historically should have taken that responsibility, and it should give all political forces identifying with Taiwan the opportunity to engage in dialogue with the public in this democratic society.
Let's applaud and encourage Shih.
Lee Min-yung is a poet and president of the Taiwan Peace Foundation.
TRANSLATED BY PERRY SVENSSON
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, people have been asking if Taiwan is the next Ukraine. At a G7 meeting of national leaders in January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Taiwan “could be the next Ukraine” if Chinese aggression is not checked. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that if Russia is not defeated, then “today, it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it can be Taiwan.” China does not like this rhetoric. Its diplomats ask people to stop saying “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” However, the rhetoric and stated ambition of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Taiwan shows strong parallels with