On Sept. 9, Wang Lie-ping (王麗萍), spokeswoman of the Million Voices Against Corruption demonstration initiated by former Democratic Progressive Party chairman Shih Ming-teh (施明德), was booed off the podium when she said that, "The people of the Republic of Taiwan will not be defeated by some rain."
Upon hearing Wang's remark, Shih grimaced and the throng of demonstrators demanded an apology, for they found the term "Republic of Taiwan" totally unacceptable. Afterwards, to pacify the disgruntled demonstrators, Shih and his campaign staff offered solemn apologies.
On Sept. 12, Liao Lin-Li-lin (廖林麗玲) and Chen Tsan-hung (陳燦鴻), Taiwan Solidarity Union candidates for the year-end Taipei City Councilor elections, visited Shih and asked him to support the governments efforts to join the UN using the name "Taiwan."
Surprisingly, Shih angrily rebuked the two, wondering where were they in the past when he himself had proposed that Taiwan join the UN under the name Taiwan.
It turns out that the name "Republic of Taiwan" can only be used among certain people.
When Israel fell, the Israeli people were heartbroken and filled with regret.
As seen in Psalms 137:5-6, a poet describe his feelings in the words, "If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its dexterity. Let my tongue cleave to my palate if I will not remember you, if I will not bring to mind Jerusalem during my greatest joy."
Someone who has called himself an "omnipotent warrior" has ended up offering solemn apologies when someone speaks up for the ideals that he himself held to in the past. We have finally understood that the meaning of truth may change depending on the person.
The last paragraph of the Million Voices Against Corruption campaign declaration pledges to rebuild the core values of a civic society. I assumed that seeking President Chen Shui-bian's (
We are finding, however, that these standards only apply to certain people and political parties. When applied to the campaign itself, they immediately turn into "political persecution."
Although the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan has made it clear throughout the anti-Chen campaign that we hope to see the establishment of a political and legal system that conforms to the principles of faith, and that we are not supporting a "certain people," we still receive abusive and threatening phone calls.
If you do not have the right to freely express yourself on the land where you were born; if you do not have the right to identify with that land; if you are being attacked and forced to apologize by a social movement claiming to be "peaceful and rational" for adhering to your own ideals; if that movement threatens and oppresses others simply because they do not share its ideals -- can that movement still be called a social movement and claim to adhere to the values of "love, peace and non-violence?"
If it can, Taiwan's democracy is a disaster.
Andrew Chang is the secretary-general of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan.
Translated by Daniel Cheng
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