A father and son meet every week, dining amicably and talking pleasantly, but they never touch on sensitive topics such as politics and the workers' movement.
Wang Hsing-chih (王醒之), a labor leader and son of Wang Tuoh (王拓), the DPP legislative party whip, was accused by the Executive Yuan last week of damaging public property after he led several protest demonstrations in front of government agencies.
Hsing-chih, who said both he and his father are familiar with the notion of "doing time," seems not to mind going to jail if he is convicted.
He does, however, mind being called "the son of Wang To" or "a member of the `fifth column.'"
Hsing-chih called his father the other day to see how he was doing -- after all, Wang To holds an important position in the government and an errant son could reflect poorly on the official.
Hsing-chih said he knows about spending time in jail -- not because of any time he has done -- but because of the stories his father has told about being a political dissident who went to jail after the Formosa Incident more than 20 years ago.
He said he can still vividly remember that each Sunday, he accompanied his mother, younger sister and their grandmother to see Wang at a detention center in Taipei County. The visits continued for about five years until he was 14.
Hsing-chih remembers that his mother was saddened each time they went to see his father. But every Saturday, she became high spirited again, preparing mashed taro, which was Wang's favorite dessert.
A strong-willed young man, Hsing-chih fought for independence at a relatively young.
He wanted to move out and live on his own when he reached 18. Wang, by then, held an important post in the DPP and had a decent job. He was angry with Hsing-chih and challenged his son by saying that "If you have any guts, you'll never come back here asking for money."
* Wang Tuoh was involved in the Formosa Incident, in which the KMT cracked down on the burgeoning democracy movement.
* His son, Hsing-chih, is now a labor leader after joining the workers' movement from graduate school.
* Hsing-chih supported himself through school, during which time he had first-hand experience of poverty and the lack of workers' rights.
* Last week he was accused of damaging public property after leading a protest rally.
Hsing-chih never did ask his father for money. To support himself, he worked as a laborer at factories during his university's winter and summer breaks. He even managed to support himself while finishing his course at graduate school.
He said his experiences were shocking. A worker used his narrow, factory dorm bed as his home with a TV set and electric fan and other things on it so that he could have his own room back home rented out to help make ends meet.
Some workers would scavenge leftover food from the cafeteria to take back to their families, he said.
There are always people in society struggling just to keep their head above water. Hsing-chih said it was only natural that he joined the workers' movement the first thing after he finished his graduate school education.
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