If anything positive has come out of the debacle that is the Beijing Olympics so far, it is the clarity that the Games have brought to the debate on national identity by demonstrating the pride — or lack thereof — of public figures in the Taiwanese team and the country itself.
When asked how he felt about participating in the Games, Kuo Yen-wen (郭嚴文), a member of the Olympic baseball team, said: “I hope to perform well and show the Chinese [what we’ve got]. Don’t call us Zhongguo Taibei [中國台北, Taipei, China] anymore.”
After being refused entry to China by Beijing airport police to cheer for the nation’s Olympic athletes, Cheerleading Squad for Taiwan captain Yang Hui-ju (楊蕙如) dismissed criticism from those who called her “provocative,” asking: “Am I wrong to love my country?”
After winning the bronze in the women’s 48kg category, weightlifter Chen Wei-ling (陳葦綾) said: “When I received the medal, all I could see was the flag representing Taiwan, all I could hear was the song representing Taiwan, and in my heart I wanted to say ‘Go Taiwan!’”
When a Chinese spectator shouted “we are all Chinese,” Chen replied with a short, sweet remark that said it all: “Go Taiwan!”
It is telling that Kuo, Yang and Chen, though not as influential as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰), are not afraid to show their feelings for the country they love. Unlike Wu and Lien, they have the backbone to stand up for the country by proudly saying the name “Taiwan” in front of a global audience.
By contrast, Wu and Lien have put on a pitiful show during the Games.
They have consistently played by Beijing’s rules, not daring to utter either the word “Taiwan” or the nation’s official title, the Republic of China, the name they have so often argued is inseparable from the nation’s identity.
Instead, the public was treated to scenes of toadying and elbow-rubbing with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
To add insult to injury, the Chinese-language Next Magazine reported yesterday that Wu had struck a secret deal with China during his meeting with Hu in May. The report said Wu agreed that Taiwan would accept its placement during the Olympic opening procession based on the number of strokes in the character zhong (中) in exchange for Taiwan’s Olympic team being addressed by Chinese media as Zhonghua Taibei (中華台北, Chinese Taipei) rather than Zhongguo Taibei.
Wu must respond to this allegation and substantiate his repeated professions that he loves his country. Presenting Taiwan’s Olympic team with NT$200,000 in spending money is not worth a fraction of showing some backbone to Beijing.
On a trip that should have focused on cheering the nation’s athletes, the behavior of Wu and Lien has above all served the interests of the Chinese government. It is painfully clear that the former vice president and the chairman of Taiwan’s governing party have no intention of demanding respect on behalf of the 23 million people of Taiwan and have no expectation that Beijing will show any respect.
Hope lies not in these poor examples of leadership by Wu and Lien, but in the courage, determination and unreserved pride of people like Kuo, Chen and Yang.
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