Sun, May 28, 2000 page8

• China is singing too off beat and out of tune

  • By Vicent Lin 林文政
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  China has reacted strongly to Chang Hui-mei's (張惠妹) performance of the ROC national anthem during Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) inauguration ceremony. China's state-owned television stations, newspapers and billboard owners have been ordered to stop running a Sprite commercial featuring Chang, known to her fans as A-mei (阿妹).

  In fact, the ROC national anthem is not the sole target of Chinese censorship.

  Hong Kong singer Leon Lei (黎明) was also forced to rewrite a song on his new album after he came under fire from Beijing for incorporating part of the PRC's anthem into the tune.

  The Chinese reaction to these two singers is ridiculous. How-ever, it reminds the Taiwanese people of our past, when we lived under similar "politically motivated" censorship.

  The Taiwan Garrison Command (警總), the Government Information Office (新聞局) and General Political Warfare Department (總政戰部) used to help people decide what they should think, like and do.

  But such authoritarian policies have proven a failure because human nature yearns for freedom and violating human rights is unacceptable.

  James Soong (宋楚瑜) came under ferocious criticism during the presidential campaign for his efforts at cultural censorship during his term as GIO director-general. Seeing the Beijing authorities repeat this kind of mistake is chilling for the Taiwanese people.

  The gap between the two sides' development seems deeper and wider than ever before. Over the past 10 years or so, Taiwan's democracy has taken wing, like a bird that is no longer content to flap around on the ground.

  There is no way the Taiwanese people can accept China's barbaric despotism. Beijing's crude attitude and actions will only arouse the resentment of the people of Taiwan and drive Taiwan farther away.

  China's ban on A-mei has exposed its obsession with political control and its lack of compassion.

  The incident also demonstrates that Beijing does not understand the principle of "guiding their actions according to the circumstances" (因勢利導).

  China has not learned any lesson from its defeat in the dual between the "senior Deng and junior Deng" [China's late supreme leader Deng Xiao-ping (鄧小平) and and the late Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng (鄧麗君)].

  Beijing's ban on A-mei will probably help boost her popularity in China. If so, it will be a repeat of Teresa Teng's victory over the supreme Deng. Listening to A-mei's songs may become an outlet and a way to vent dissatisfaction for the Chinese people.

  The direction of cross-strait relations is determined by a wide range of interactions between the two sides on different matters, ranging from the trivial to the important.

  China's sanctions against A-mei are not a big deal, but they provide a lively footnote to Chen's inauguration speech, in which he said: "The Chinese people emphasize the difference between statesmanship and hegemony, believing in the philosophy that a government which employs benevolence will please those near and appeal to those from afar. And when those afar will not submit, then one must practice kindness and virtue to attract them."

  China does not understand that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

  Through the results of two presidential elections, the Taiwanese people have told China that verbal attacks and military threats are not going to work.

  Vincent Lin is a senior journalist.
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