The freedoms of speech and expression are among the nation’s most precious assets, standing as pillars of its democracy. However, a shrine to communism created in Changhua County by a former military officer who advocates unification with China is a timely reminder for the government that it needs to remain vigilant over how democracy could be undermined and national identity disintegrated through abuses of these rights.
Wei Ming-jen (魏明仁), who is in the construction business, acquired a Buddhist temple seven years ago and converted it into its present form, with the national flag of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) flying and daily broadcasts of the Chinese national anthem.
Following years of complaints by locals, the Changhua County Government finally took action on Friday last week, cutting power and water supplies to the property and pledging to demolish illegal buildings on the site tomorrow.
Changhua County Commissioner Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷) said that respect for Wei Ming-jen’s right to freedom of speech meant that the county government had not taken action earlier, but the illegal buildings and use of the site to engage in activities that slandered national dignity had prompted the action.
Such remarks expose the mindset common among government officials, who more often than not maintain adherence to freedom of expression, but lack awareness of how national security and sovereignty are undermined by fifth columnists by means that go beyond the bounds of freedom of speech to become assaults on democracy.
Indeed, freedom of speech is not a license to abuse: There is nothing more unfortunate than when the values of democracy are twisted and the line between enemies and friends is blurred.
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
However, Article 29 also notes that “in the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.”
Regrettably, it appears that the public’s sense of national identity remains vulnerable to Beijing’s infiltration and “united front” tactics. Why? The answer is simple: How can people be expected to tell friend from foe when the government itself appears to be just as confused?
While the military says that China is the enemy, with thousands of missiles aimed at Taiwan, the government allows the PRC national flag — a symbol of China’s sovereignty — to fly in streets across the nation.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), when it was in opposition, was critical of the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration’s handling of issues when it came to China and concerning the nation’s security and dignity. However, even with the mandate of the public giving the DPP control of the executive and legislative branches, it appears to be just as gutless when safeguarding national security calls for boldness and toughness.
Or could it be that DPP officials, interested only in holding on to power, are not prepared for Chinese aggression?
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
Ursula K. le Guin in The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas proposed a thought experiment of a utopian city whose existence depended on one child held captive in a dungeon. When taken to extremes, Le Guin suggests, utilitarian logic violates some of our deepest moral intuitions. Even the greatest social goods — peace, harmony and prosperity — are not worth the sacrifice of an innocent person. Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), since leaving office, has lived an odyssey that has brought him to lows like Le Guin’s dungeon. From late 2008 to 2015 he was imprisoned, much of this
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and