Following the 1979 Formosa Incident, Taiwan emerged from decades of repression and embarked on the road to democratization and liberalization. Deng Nan-jung’s (鄭南榕) self-sacrifice on April 7, 1989, was yet another symbolic event, showing that freedom as a value was worth pursuing.
Today is Freedom of Expression Day, which was introduced by the government on April 7, 2016. There will be several activities and ceremonies hosted by political figures: Some will treat freedom as an ideal, while others will use it to make themselves look good.
The reason Taiwan underwent democratization and wants full and complete sovereignty and independence rather than being annexed by a hostile country is that the people living in this land want to be free.
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) rule has ended, but Taiwan’s path toward freedom is now under threat by the Chinese Communist Party.
The so-called “Formosa generation” of lawyers who defended the participants in the Formosa Incident, party workers and bureaucrats, and even political novices that have replaced the KMT continue to be involved in many power struggles, as they continue to lay down the as yet incomplete road toward freedom.
With nary a complaint, those who support the change in administration from KMT domination continue to contribute their energy and funds to facilitate this new political power. They have had moments of joy and happiness, but there has also been resentment. There is joy when they see people participating and helping build the path to freedom, but there is also resentment when people fail to meet expectations and engage in selfish power struggles.
There are many Taiwan-born politicians in the KMT who have taken advantage of the reform movement’s democratization and Taiwan-centered developments, using the road to freedom to make a grab for power.
Even among members of the original reform movement, there are politicians who have become too politicized, revealing their thirst for power.
In 1998, when then-Taipei mayor Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) lost his re-election bid, his advisers suggested that he express his disappointment in losing, despite his high popularity rating, by saying: “A great city is always ruthless toward its politicians.”
The question now is what Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who is following the same road toward freedom, has done to help us move further along on that road. Ko once enjoyed strong support among Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters, those who were not part of the red, green, blue or orange camps — the so-called white force — and middle-of-the-road voters, but the question is how he has responded to their support.
The answer will be a test for Taipei residents and the DPP, a party that symbolizes political reform following the Formosa Incident. Freedom should be treated as a value rather than something that politicians use to aggrandize themselves and make themselves look good. It should not be exploited as a tool or a slogan for power-hungry politicians.
Let us raise a cheer for Taipei residents, while the DPP must take a more progressive political approach to prove that it deserves the public’s trust.
Lee Min-yung is a poet.
Translated by Chang Ho-ming
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