Print

Mail

wiki links

Parade flowers, not guns on Oct. 10

`With Taiwan-US relations rocky as they are, and ahead of a presidential election in a climate of cross-strait antagonism, it's hard for me to imagine what benefit squandering a huge sum on a "national defense performance" could have for the nation's foreign diplomacy or domestic politics.'

News that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) wants to hold a "national defense performance" on National Day, Oct. 10, immediately drew a variety of reactions from the public.

Although Chen has said that the show would not be a true military parade, having the three branches of the military march down Ketagalan Boulevard is nothing other than a kind of military parade.

And since a military parade could cost hundreds of millions or even billions of NT dollars, the price tag is astronomical as far the average person is concerned.

Military parades are very rare in democratic countries. In countries like the US and Britain, not only do many people not even know what a military parade is, but soldiers don't even know how to march in "proper" military style.

One exception is France. Although it recently held a military parade on Bastille Day, July 14, it was more fun than serious, with children posing on top of tanks for pictures.

In contrast, countries that like to show off their fighter planes, artillery, tanks and missiles are often totalitarian regimes. After the People's Republic of China (PRC) was established in 1949, it made military parades the main feature of national celebrations.

From 1949 to 1959, China held large-scale troop parades at Tiananmen Square, but such an enormous cost was not easy for a developing country to afford, so in 1960 it began to hold military parades only once every 10 years.

After the destruction wrought by the Cultural Revolution, China didn't hold a National Day military parade for 24 years. The next large-scale troop inspection didn't take place until 1984.

But as the military's role and influence in politics gradually recedes, even the PRC, which stresses the direct control of the Chinese Communist Party over the military, doesn't use military parades to display control over its armed forces.

Having decided to hold one military parade every 10 years, China's most recent troop inspection was in 1999, meaning that the next one will have to wait until 2009.

Most countries that hold military parades nowadays do so to cover up failures in their domestic policies and to highlight external threats, and that is why they use impressive military displays to reinforce the legitimacy of their rule.

North Korea is perhaps the most well-known example.

It is unfortunate that a hallmark democracy like Taiwan would suddenly tend toward the North Korean school of governance. Taiwan hasn't held a large military parade in 16 years and the troop reviews of the authoritarian era have gradually faded from people's memories.

Chen probably wants to use this opportunity to demonstrate Taiwan's sovereignty to the outside world, while domestically showing off his prestige as commander in chief.

With Taiwan-US relations rocky as they are, and ahead of a presidential election in a climate of cross-strait antagonism, it's hard for me to imagine what benefit squandering a huge sum on a "national defense performance" could have for the nation's foreign diplomacy or domestic politics.

Following the nationalization of the military, a display that smacks of Adolf Hitler or Kim Jong-il would be of no help at all in maintaining the military's neutrality. Nor is the authority of the commander in chief dependent on trifling troop inspections.

If Chen governs poorly and lacks popular support, this kind of thing can only incur resentment from the public and military itself.

From another angle, if the ruling party really wants to live up to the principles of "love and peace" that it advocates, it shouldn't hold military parades or "National Day performances," which symbolize military power and aggression.

If we want to celebrate Oct. 10, we should arrange something more like the Rose Parade in California. That parade, which began in 1890, is held every January in Pasadena. It has developed into one of the most well-known, entertaining yearly celebrations around the world. Every year, an estimated 350 million people from at least 90 countries attend float parades in the US. Inspired by the US experience, many countries now hold all kinds of parades to expand their tourist industries.

Malaysia began holding a float parade in 1991, thereby becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to do so.

Even more noteworthy, Taiwan's China Airlines float wins the grand prize almost every year at the Rose Parade.

This year, its float, "The Natural Beauty of Taiwan," won the International Trophy. Taiwanese creativity and artistic sense is first rate, but we don't have an official stage locally for floral artists to showcase their talent.

If we held an event similar to the Rose Parade for Taiwan's National Day, not only would the public welcome it, the event would also provide artists with an opportunity to use their creativity and boost business for flower growers.

Moreover, it could increase Taiwan's international visibility and promote the nation's peaceful ideals and unique culture.

Wouldn't this "soft power" be better than the "hard power" of a military parade?

Cheng Ta-chen is an independent defense analyst.

Translated by Marc Langer
This story has been viewed 1338 times.