South Korea ended military rule in the 1990s. After then-South Korean president Roh Tae-woo stepped down in 1993, his successors Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung remade politics in that nation. At that time, Taiwan entered the era of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝). More than 20 years have passed since then and there is a large gap in development between the two nations, which were both once Japanese colonies.
Following the revolutionary change in South Korea, the old party collapsed when the old regime collapsed, and the new politics developed in step with the new era. Compared with South Korea, which has already entered its “sixth republic” since World War II, Taiwan remains trapped in its old republic, despite repeated constitutional amendments. Although South Korean President Park Geun-hye is the daughter of former South Korean president Park Chung-hee, her nation has not returned to the old politics.
In comparison, despite its “peaceful revolution,” Taiwan still finds it difficult to rid itself of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) system. Faced with democratization, the KMT, which finds it impossible to leave behind its colonial mindset, is seeking help from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which overthrew the KMT, making it an obstacle to reform.
Using Armed Forces Day on Saturday last week as an excuse, the KMT took to the streets together with hundreds of thousands of military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers. Did they march for dignity, their interests or the loss of the party-state?
In Lee’s era, the colonialists and the rich and powerful in the KMT pretended to obey him, but they despised him bitterly. After the party lost power in the 2000 presidential election due to the competition between then-vice president Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), they publicly criticized and denounced Lee, and the hatred remains unchanged: They hate him even more than the CCP leaders who defeated and forced the party to relocate from China to Taiwan.
The KMT still does not dare to openly turn its back on Taiwanese thanks to democratization, and former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was lucky to be given two terms in office between 2008 and this year — thanks to the “pendulum effect” and the resulting power transfer.
Taiwan and South Korea have followed different paths of political reform since the 1990s. They have differed greatly both in economic development and in the national mood. South Korea has managed to break through the challenges posed by the financial crisis and build momentum, while Taiwan’s economic transformation has been ineffective.
They are among the four Asian Tigers, but Taiwan is having problems and is clearly lagging behind. An even greater difference lies in the two nations’ spiritual outlooks. Although many Taiwanese are fascinated with South Korean culture, South Korea shows little respect for Taiwan, and it failed to follow proper diplomatic protocol at President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) inauguration ceremomy on May 20.
Although the Korean Peninsula is split between North Korea and South Korea, the South has ended its authoritarian military rule. However, Taiwan is mired in the fictional Republic of China (ROC) framework and is haunted by the power politics of pro- and anti-colonialism. In its deceit, the KMT would rather side with the CCP than truly transform itself into a local Taiwanese party. Compared with the toughness of South Korea, Taiwan is weak, as if it were trapped in a swamp.
Unable to accept the settlement of its ill-gotten party assets or the transitional justice issue, the KMT has led Taiwan through the lifting of Martial Law in 1987 and the introduction of direct presidential elections in 1996 into a situation where it can neither free itself of the past nor launch a new era. The colonialism of the rich and powerful beneficiaries of the party-state has hijacked their followers and obscured progressive vision.
These political obstacles are the reason why a new culture has failed to develop and Taiwan’s economy has failed to take off like the South Korean economy.
As other nations have bid farewell to the past and moved into the future, Taiwan remains hijacked by the Chinese spirit of the ROC, and is unable to move into a new era. Lee, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Tsai have all faced the nation’s spiritual obstacles. If a nation is unable to bring about reform and renewal, it will forever exist in a state of transition.
Lee Min-yung is a poet.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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