How would you feel if you had been called a freak even before you were born? How would you feel if someone accused you of breaking the law before you had even conveyed a single thought?
This seems to be the case in the recent uproar over the VCDs produced by Lin Yi-fang (
Long before its content was made public, a number of pan-blue politicians such as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
The problem is that none of them have actually viewed the VCDs.
So why all the exasperation, fuss and fantasies about the VCDs? All we can say -- once again -- is that this reflects absurdity, ignorance and lack of democratic capacity in these critics.
Taoyuan County police last week seized film footage in a Taipei studio that purportedly contains subject matter insinuating that Chu -- who is seeking re-election -- had had various extramarital affairs.
The Publication Law (
VCDs, as a type of publication, are protected by the freedom of speech and publication enshrined in Article 11 of the Constitution.
Freedom of speech -- as Vice President Annette Lu (
Whether the VCDs are legal or not can only be determined after they have been released.
Yet the Taoyuan police applied censorship by withholding the discs without proper reason before they were released, shockingly reminding many of us of the White Terror in the martial law era under the KMT.
It is quite ironic that a disgraceful incident such as raiding a studio would happen under the DPP administration, which prides itself on its role as a protector of freedom of expression.
In fact, some members of the DPP administration are echoing the pan-blues' arguments that releasing the VCDs is in violation of the Election and Recall Law (
DPP officials need to stop their wishful thinking that their tolerance of the pan-blues will secure more cooperation at the Legislative Yuan.
Supping with the enemy is going to gain the DPP administration neither respect nor support from the pan-blues. It will only help the pan-blues fortify their scheme to paralyze the DPP administration, and leave the government -- sadly and stupidly -- to become a witless pawn in oppressing freedom of expression all over again.
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