Print

Mail

wiki links

EDITORIAL: Trading values for political currency

The anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre came and went without any major incidents and Beijing is no doubt breathing a sigh of relief. Mourning was — as usual — banned, authorities harassed those trying to commemorate the day in Beijing and a silent parade to grieve for the victims of the June 4, 1989, massacre passed through Hong Kong.

This year, the sorrow was compounded by the devastating Sichuan earthquake, with the Tiananmen Mothers and other groups calling for China to honor the victims of state violence with the same public recognition — such as flying flags at half mast — afforded the thousands killed in the natural disaster.

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), meanwhile, issued a short statement that was not only weak, but actually praised Beijing for its supposed progress. This marked a significant departure from Ma’s usual commemoration of June 4.

Praising Beijing’s record on human rights on the anniversary of one of its cruelest crackdowns took unabashed kowtowing to a whole new level. The Tiananmen Square Massacre is not a closed chapter from the distant past. Although 19 years have elapsed, the punishment continues and Beijing’s anger has not abated. The true number of demonstrators from the Tiananmen protests who are still imprisoned is unknown, but it is believed to be upwards of 100 or even 200, based on information that rights groups have collected from families.

In addition, the number of people arrested since 1989 for commemorating June 4, campaigning for the release of June 4 prisoners or discussing its significance is likewise not publicized. Nevertheless, each new arrest is an unmistakable signal to the people of China of what they risk should they dare to openly broach the subject.

This June 4 was as somber as any other year. In this context, the difference in Ma’s method of commemoration was patently political. His mind wasn’t on the improvements he commended, but his mission to fulfill campaign promises post haste.

Beijing’s cross-strait signals remain strategically ambiguous in spite of Ma’s persistent gestures of goodwill. He was likely concerned that any criticism would give China an excuse to embarrass him this week when the Straits Exchange Foundation sits down with Beijing’s Association on Relations Across the Taiwan Strait.

Ma lauded the openness in the wake of last month’s earthquake and the freedoms granted to media reporting on the catastrophe. Chinese journalist Shi Tao (師濤), meanwhile, remained in prison, serving a 10-year term for his e-mail to an overseas Web site concerning the media blackout on commemorating June 4. As for Tibet, which Ma failed to mention in his statement, foreign journalists are still denied access. And in Sichuan, reporters have been forcibly taken from the scene of grief-stricken parents demanding accountability from those officials responsible for the construction of substandard school buildings.

The distressing situation that Ma has previously recognized and lamented by stepping forward on June 4 has not changed. Out of respect for those who lost their lives in 1989 and those still denied their freedom two decades later, silence would have been preferable to Ma complimenting Beijing on that of all days.
This story has been viewed 1357 times.