The week couldn’t pass without acknowledging another classic China Post editorial. Its management obviously ignored my plea that its editorial writer be allowed to expire with dignity after decades of toil; clearly, the centenarian on life support who concocts these perplexing missives has some years in him yet.
I feel obliged to share a bit of “Time to think the unthinkable on system of government” (posted online on Sept. 2) because it offers a taste of the mindset of those few Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) figures contemplating the post-Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) era who still give a hoot about ideology — but can’t find anyone to listen. Enjoy:
“Perhaps Western liberal democracy is not the final form of human government. Perhaps the final form of human government is something unfamiliar to most of mankind, and which most of mankind has yet to try. Perhaps the final form of human government, the one that will replace Western liberal democracy, is ‘self government.’”
Anarcho-syndicalism, perhaps? Unlikely, for that would privilege workers — hardly pleasing to the ear of a media outlet that backs intimate ties between corporations and government.
Just what is this “self government”? The editorial cites economist Donald Boudreaux, but not in any detail. So we’re still in the dark. Then, the finale:
“Even mainstream political pundits on Taiwan, far from the cutting edge of political evolution, are beginning to discover the truth about Western liberal democracy.
“Perhaps it is time to think the unthinkable.”
And that’s it. The unthinkable refers to “self-government,” but the rest is up to your imagination. You can be sure, however, that it ain’t liberal democracy.
But enough media nonsense. It’s time to get away from it all.
I propose a canoe trip.
Let’s start on the beautiful southwest flank of Yushan (玉山). It’s pretty steep and rugged up there, with very few roads. We’ll have to work hard to get the two canoes to the starting point, but it’s possible. From the source of the Cishan River (旗山溪), you can see the peak of Yushan, as well as the ridge that heads westward to the Alishan (阿里山) recreational area. To the east is another ridge that includes a couple of peaks above 3,800m altitude. Glorious.
There are no people up here, save for a few tourists on the Yushan hike and perhaps the odd forestry employee or national park official. So I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you if you were hoping to bump into rustic locals and admire their quaint culture and odd way with words. I know at least one of you on this trip was dreaming of having a musical get-to-know-you with the natives, so you will have to settle for your imagination and humming a Bunun Eight-Part Harmony, even though there are only four of us. Relax; you might spot a Formosan Black Bear peering down at us from a suspension bridge.
Off we go! It’s steep, but there’s enough water — even so close to the source — to avoid getting stuck in the riverbed. This river actually serves as the border between Alishan Township, Chiayi County, on our right, and Taoyuan Township (桃源), Kaohsiung County.
A few kilometers downstream is the first sign of human intrusion: Nansi Bridge (楠溪橋), which allows forestry workers coming from Chiayi to go deep into the mountains of Taoyuan to the south. But something’s wrong: The bridge has suffered damage. Still, we’re able to paddle around the debris with little effort. Forward, gentlemen, and no cracks about building bridges with the masses, thank you.
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