Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), now identified in prison by his personal identification number, 1020, might be looking at 17 years in jail, although it could be whittled down to just 11 years behind bars. There is also the slim possibility of a presidential pardon somewhere down the road by a future Democratic Progressive Party president, perhaps as early as 2012.
For now, contemplating his fate, Chen sits in a cell in Taoyuan and is settling into his jail routine. There’s roll call each day and he’ll have to answer the guards when they ask him his name and ID number. At least three times a week, there will be exercise outside in a guarded yard with fellow inmates, one surmises, and a good soak or shower in a prison washroom twice a week, too.
Other than that, he will be a prisoner of his own thoughts in his own cell, and there won’t be any glimpses of sunrises or sunsets. Food will come in through a metal slot in his cell three times a day. Good solid food, nutritious and designed to keep his weight steady and his health, well, healthy.
Chen’s 1.2 ping (3.96m2) cell will afford the former president time to read, write and think. Like a monk in a Buddhist monastery, Chen will have a lot of down time for deep, quiet contemplation, and he will undoubtedly spend most of his days writing his memoirs and penning commentaries and broadsides about politics and history.
There might be a book in a year published by his supporters and eventually there might be enough to fill an entire bookshelf.
Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) has said Chen’s imprisonment was a tragedy for him, his family and Taiwan’s democracy.
It is. However, the former president, from news reports and published photographs, seems calm and reflective behind bars, and since it appears he has nerves of steel and a strong, nimble mind, he will probably come out of jail more or less the same man he is today.
He will not be broken. He will grow in jail. He will blossom and sprout new wings. He will write his way out from the confining walls of his cell and fly free as a bird in the wind. His personality and his instincts will carry him through.
Perhaps the most embarrassing day — and moment — in Chen’s life was on Friday when he was transferred from the Taipei Detention Center to his new “home” in Taoyuan, where, like all incoming inmates, he had to go through a full-body search, completely naked.
Standing before several prison guards and officials, Chen was likely forced to stand up straight and bare himself to machines and men inside a walled-up fortress that is not the ship of state he once captained, but a mighty reminder that personal fortunes rise and fall just like the long ocean swells of the Pacific.
Naked, Chen knew he had hit rock bottom, but he also knows that he will be free one day, and that his life will go on, inexorably, towards the final curtain.
Dan Bloom is a freelance writer in Taiwan.
When US budget carrier Southwest Airlines last week announced a new partnership with China Airlines, Southwest’s social media were filled with comments from travelers excited by the new opportunity to visit China. Of course, China Airlines is not based in China, but in Taiwan, and the new partnership connects Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport with 30 cities across the US. At a time when China is increasing efforts on all fronts to falsely label Taiwan as “China” in all arenas, Taiwan does itself no favors by having its flagship carrier named China Airlines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is eager to jump at
The muting of the line “I’m from Taiwan” (我台灣來欸), sung in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), during a performance at the closing ceremony of the World Masters Games in New Taipei City on May 31 has sparked a public outcry. The lyric from the well-known song All Eyes on Me (世界都看見) — originally written and performed by Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One (玖壹壹) — was muted twice, while the subtitles on the screen showed an alternate line, “we come here together” (阮作伙來欸), which was not sung. The song, performed at the ceremony by a cheerleading group, was the theme
Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised eyebrows recently when he declared the era of American unipolarity over. He described America’s unrivaled dominance of the international system as an anomaly that was created by the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. Now, he observed, the United States was returning to a more multipolar world where there are great powers in different parts of the planet. He pointed to China and Russia, as well as “rogue states like Iran and North Korea” as examples of countries the United States must contend with. This all begs the question:
In China, competition is fierce, and in many cases suppliers do not get paid on time. Rather than improving, the situation appears to be deteriorating. BYD Co, the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer by production volume, has gained notoriety for its harsh treatment of suppliers, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability. The case also highlights the decline of China’s business environment, and the growing risk of a cascading wave of corporate failures. BYD generally does not follow China’s Negotiable Instruments Law when settling payments with suppliers. Instead the company has created its own proprietary supply chain finance system called the “D-chain,” through which
RSS