In the wording of their verdict in the corruption trial of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), the three court judges wrote in the style of cranky old Chinese teachers. The tone of the verdict makes them look like tyrannical feudal officials who exercised undivided administrative, legislative and judicial powers in ancient times, rather than judges in a democratic era.
By quoting ancient sayings in the verdict, the judges unintentionally gave themselves and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) a slap in the face.
The verdict condemns Chen with the Chinese proverb: “As the grass bends before the wind, so do inferiors imitate their superiors” (風行草偃，上行下效). In reality, the saying better describes Ma’s new party-state system and authoritarianism. As for another quoted saying, “To be a leader is to be a master and a teacher” (作之君，作之師), this is also a reflection of Ma’s arrogant attitude to ordinary people in Taiwan.
The late writer Bo Yang (柏楊), who was persecuted by the previous Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime, once satirized the police for acting like the public’s master, parent and teacher. Ma’s style is arrogant and anti-democratic. He wants to be both a master and teacher, but he is by no means a caring parent. His patronizing comment to Aborigines that “I see you as people” and his cold and uncaring treatment of typhoon victims are ample evidence of his true character.
Ma’s administration has the characteristics of feudalistic rule, rather than the rule of law. Believing himself to be a kind leader, he decides for himself what benevolent policies are right for the people and what constitutes justice. His self-righteous attitude and arbitrary actions are reflected in the behavior of KMT bureaucrats, who struggle against their opponents in the style of “hating evils as deadly foes” (嫉惡如仇) and “expelling and exterminating every enemy” (趕盡殺絕).
During the old days of authoritarian rule by the KMT, the party used the judiciary as a tool to attack its critics and opposition forces. Former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen carried out reforms without availing themselves of this tool. Ma often proclaims the independence of the judiciary, but in his case it means “allowing” judicial officials, who have long been manipulated by the KMT, to refer to his views and implement his will.
As a tool in the hand of political forces, the judiciary makes its decisions not according to evidence or the letter of the law, but according to political demands. In order to put Chen behind bars, the KMT government went so far as to make the unlawful move of replacing the judges in charge of the case. The party’s proxy, Presiding Judge Tsai Shou-hsun (蔡守訓), who anachronistically relied on centuries-old precedents to absolve Ma of accusations of corruption, applied entirely different standards in Chen’s case, listening only to the “proof” presented by the prosecution and quoting irrelevant ancient morals and philosophy in imposing a heavy sentence on the former president.
Neo-authoritarianism is based on Confucian ethics, so it is not surprising that Tsai should quote Confucius (孔子) in the verdict. Ma is determined to repress his opponents, and Tsai complied by imposing a severe sentence on Chen and quoting Confucian philosophy as grounds for the court’s decision. Ma takes pride in being the people’s master and teacher. He does not need to interfere in the judiciary, because bureaucrats and political hacks alike can figure out what he wants and act accordingly. Ma must be very pleased with their performance.
By scolding Chen with criticisms that are more applicable to Ma, Tsai has revealed for all to see the feudal and autocratic face of Ma’s authoritarian rule.
James Wang is a media commentator.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG AND JULIAN CLEGG
Elbridge Colby, America’s Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, is the most influential voice on defense strategy in the Second Trump Administration. For insight into his thinking, one could do no better than read his thoughts on the defense of Taiwan which he gathered in a book he wrote in 2021. The Strategy of Denial, is his contemplation of China’s rising hegemony in Asia and on how to deter China from invading Taiwan. Allowing China to absorb Taiwan, he wrote, would open the entire Indo-Pacific region to Chinese preeminence and result in a power transition that would place America’s prosperity
When Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) first suggested a mass recall of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators, the Taipei Times called the idea “not only absurd, but also deeply undemocratic” (“Lai’s speech and legislative chaos,” Jan. 6, page 8). In a subsequent editorial (“Recall chaos plays into KMT hands,” Jan. 9, page 8), the paper wrote that his suggestion was not a solution, and that if it failed, it would exacerbate the enmity between the parties and lead to a cascade of revenge recalls. The danger came from having the DPP orchestrate a mass recall. As it transpired,
A few weeks ago in Kaohsiung, tech mogul turned political pundit Robert Tsao (曹興誠) joined Western Washington University professor Chen Shih-fen (陳時奮) for a public forum in support of Taiwan’s recall campaign. Kaohsiung, already the most Taiwanese independence-minded city in Taiwan, was not in need of a recall. So Chen took a different approach: He made the case that unification with China would be too expensive to work. The argument was unusual. Most of the time, we hear that Taiwan should remain free out of respect for democracy and self-determination, but cost? That is not part of the usual script, and
All 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安), formerly of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), survived recall elections against them on Saturday, in a massive loss to the unprecedented mass recall movement, as well as to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that backed it. The outcome has surprised many, as most analysts expected that at least a few legislators would be ousted. Over the past few months, dedicated and passionate civic groups gathered more than 1 million signatures to recall KMT lawmakers, an extraordinary achievement that many believed would be enough to remove at
RSS