Michel Gourd's letter (Letter, Mar 16, Page 8) highlights most Westerners' complete ignorance about Taiwan and China. By opportunistically trying to paint Taiwan as a model, or comrade in arms, it also reminds us that "independence struggle" has a certain cachet which automatically confers legitimacy on grubby politicians and the actions they take.
Quebec and Taiwan are both democratic societies. They both have a percentage of their citizenry that wants to leave a larger entity. Both independence movements have been relatively bloodless. These are the main similarities between the two and are hardly the klaxon call to shared revolution, as Michel Gourd seems to see them.
In Quebec, separatist ideology exists as the purported solution to cultural dominance by an English majority. While Quebec TV stations broadcast the latest (translated) episodes of America's Next Top Model, and people line up to buy Harry Potter et la Chambre Des Secrets, politicians insist that the only solution to preserving Quebecois culture is to leave Canada.
The average independence-seeking Taiwanese, on the other hand, has no desire to eliminate the Mandarin language and Chinese culture. Apart from certain politicians who try to display their "cred" by speaking Taiwanese, Taiwan is as Chinese as the provinces just across the Strait. The independence issue here is more about political and social realities.
China is a vast, mostly rural and poor country with an oppressive government. Taiwan has only recently emerged from being a poor nation with a totalitarian government. Many Taiwanese fear that joining China would be a step backwards in terms of personal liberty and human rights. On this, they likely have genuine cause for concern.
Polls and voting patterns in Taiwan show that most people are overwhelmingly concerned with economics. Given the opening up of China's markets and much-vaunted reforms reunification may be the only way for Taiwan to remain solvent, much less competitive.
On human rights, Taiwan has a better record on the face of it, but both societies seem to follow the guanxi equals rights principle. Perhaps this explains local tycoons' embrace of reunification while poorer Taiwanese fear it.
There is a final similarity between the two independence movements. Both societies are at the mercy of a few buffoonish politicians who know that by stirring the pot of nationalism, they can keep the electorate's attention off more pressing matters of good governance and what having rights truly means.
Gilles Chartrand
Quebec
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