A friend who I have not been in touch with for more than 20 years and who has never been very interested in politics recently called me in the middle of the night to ask, “What should we do?” I have no doubt that this was the first reaction of the majority of Taiwanese — not Chinese — on hearing former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) admission of financial irregularities.
The legal implications of his actions may still be unclear, but purely from a moral perspective this came as a bolt from clear skies. This is a massive blow that is difficult to accept mentally, spiritually or emotionally and it most likely will have a huge impact on morale.
We have all fallen into an abyss of disillusion, despair, helplessness, frustration, depression and shame. While some cannot control their emotions, most people swallow their tears and ask: “What should we do?” This has reminded me of some events that I have personally experienced.
On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese navy and air force staged a surprise attack on the US at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, destroying a great number of US vessels and causing severe damage to the US Navy.
Astonished by Japan’s raid, Americans could only ask: “What should we do?”
The following day then-US president Franklin Delano Roosevelt called the day “a date which will live in infamy” and urged the public to unite for a prolonged, toilsome war. After several years of hard-fought battles, the US finally defeated Japan.
In 1944, I was strafed by machine gun fire from US military aircraft in Nagasaki, Japan. When I regained consciousness and realized I had lost my left arm, I thought to myself: “What should I do?”
After a prolonged physical and psychological struggle, I kept going and did what I had to do.
On Aug. 15 the next year, in a store in Nagasaki, I heard the Japanese emperor speak on the radio, saying that Japan had no choice but to accept the unacceptable and surrender unconditionally.
Japan lost millions of people in that long war and the entire country was scorched by incessant Allied bombing, followed by the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Despite this, the arrogant Japanese could not imagine even in their wildest dreams that the emperor would surrender, and everybody asked: “What should we do?” before falling into an abyss of despair and helplessness.
With their “sacred” national territory occupied by the Allies, the Japanese could not but choke down the humiliation and strive on, and eventually they established a liberal democracy and a mighty economy.
In the same year, Nazi Germany collapsed and Adolf Hitler committed suicide. The entire country was bombed into ruin and trampled by the Allies. Starvation and poverty in the country forced the Germans to ask: “What should we do?” However, the unyielding Germans struggled on and finally reemerged.
Although Chen’s actions are sad and infuriating, from a historical perspective it is just an episode in Taiwan’s struggle for democracy and human rights — don’t forget how many people have lost their lives or their property, families and freedom for these ideals.
Despite its disappointment, I believe the public will learn a lesson and understand that we must never relax in our pursuit of ideals.
We need not react emotionally to the ridicule from those who do not identify with Taiwan, nor should we lash out at them, saying “you deceived the Taiwanese for half a century about being anti-communist and recovering the mainland, doing great harm both to the country and the public,” or “you killed innumerable people and took not a few hundred million, but hundreds of billions of NT dollars, so you have no right to accuse others,” or “you sold out Taiwan and its people.”
We should keep such thoughts to ourselves.
If one wants to find out if the people of a country have moral integrity or a future, one does not look to whether the national leaders are immoral or not. This happens in many countries, such as Israel, where former president Moshe Katsav was indicted for rape and sexual harassment and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is facing allegations of bribery. Rather, one should look to whether the people have the courage to accept humiliation, swallow their tears and struggle toward their ideals in times of hardship.
Peng Ming-min is a former senior presidential adviser and the chairman of the Peng Ming-min Foundation.
TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
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