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A train crash waiting to happen

ON DEC. 6, before the Chinese inscription ziyou guangchang (自由廣場), meaning "liberty square," was installed on the main gate to the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall square, the conflict between supporters and opponents of the change had already drawn blood.

An agitated driver ran his truck into a group of reporters, leaving a TV cameraman seriously injured and five others slightly injured. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) blamed each other. The democratic spirit and the respect and tolerance that comes with it was all but absent, leaving only shouting and fights.

As a result, TV reports were filled with foul language and someone even threatened to kill the family of another person. We can't help wonder if it isn't pan-blue and pan-green politicians who have forced things to this state of affairs.

Contrasting the clashes between the supporters and opponents of the switch with the awkwardness of police, I could only see how two major parties care about their own interests and have little concern for the general public. It seems as if two trains were on a collision course, with the politicians in the driver's seat showing no signs of slowing down, instead encouraging the "brave Taiwanese people" to jump on their train.

Ministry of Education Chief Secretary Chuang Kuo-jung (莊國榮) told Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) to "go home and cry on mommy's shoulder," and the Taipei City Government threatened to bring Chuang to court. They are full of indignation and animosity and are letting revenge overcome reason.

In the seven years the DPP has been in power, it has had numerous opportunities and public support to promote transitional justice. Still, reform has either ended up as empty slogans or not been properly followed through by irresponsible politicians.

For example, when the DPP just took over, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) could have taken advantage of the high public support and the power that came with his position to force the KMT's Party History Center to make public all the documents from the Martial Law era, or investigate the perpetrators of the White Terror era. However, the DPP proceeded to treat victims perfunctorily by simply talking about reform and falling back on "discounted justice." The party has turned every anniversary of the 228 Incident into a chance to gain extra currency by using victims' families.

Today, with the approach of legislative and presidential elections, transitional justice that could have been deeply meaningful to Taiwan's democracy has been turned into a cheap election slogan. Perhaps the DPP is serious about it this time, but the question is how many people will be willing to believe their election rhetoric again.

Changing the name of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall was legitimate from the perspective of transitional justice, but just as former United Microelectronics Corp chairman Robert Tsao (曹興誠) says, "Both the pan-blue and pan-green camps are putting on a show." This has led to a failure to garner support for the DPP's reforms from most people, including party members.

A telephone survey conducted by a local TV station found that the number of people supporting the Taipei City Government was much higher than those in favor of the ministry, which shows that the public has been immune to the "reforms."

However, KMT politicians shouldn't be happy either, because the pan-blue camp's actions have also been seen through by public -- for example, when former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) joined hands to pay tribute to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), their obstruction of the arms procurement budget and their proposal to amend legislation covering the Central Election Committee.

With each side in Taiwan claiming "absolute moral legitimacy," communication is impossible, and verbal as well as physical violence might come to be seen as justifiable. The "the third force" that wishes to break out of the pan-blue and pan-green box is either being marginalized or turned into a follower of the CCP.

Think about it: If former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) talk about a local-oriented two-party system and a left-right two-party system and Tsao's suggestion of a cross-strait peaceful coexistence act can be so badly misinterpreted, then how will the public be able to prevent the two trains from crashing into each other?

The conflict at the "democracy square" is just the beginning. Since neither the pan-blue nor the pan-green camp can afford to lose next year's elections, there is an even bigger conflict ahead of us.

Huang Ter-yuan is a doctoral candidate at the Sun Yat-sen Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities at National Chengchi University.

Translated by Ted Yang
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