A cure for China’s tyranny
Nothing makes a tyrant more uncomfortable than dissent — and in some cases where a tyrant’s stranglehold on a populace is tenuous, perhaps even the whisper of dissent creates alarm.
Right now, China is jockeying for position in the world order. Beijing envisions a world in which the People’s Republic of China is a leader, perhaps of all nations. However, its notion of “leading” is starkly different from what the overwhelming majority of people on Earth yearn for: basic freedoms, peace, understanding, acceptance, education, creativity and possibilities.
Totalitarianism is not built up on such “nonsense,” it is built on obedience, order, obsequience and, unfortunately, in many cases, also on brutality, fear, oppression and pain.
I do not mean to be bleak, but envisioning a world where the Chinese Communist Party is the arbiter of all things free, legal and fair does not paint a pleasant picture of life on Earth.
Leadership is not easy — great leadership involves as much letting go as binding and restricting. Yet tyrants do not have the self-confidence to let go, to let others reach for the stars. Tyrants own the heavens and earth, and all must obey.
Taiwan is a thorn in the side of Beijing’s bubble of totalitarianism. It is the example of what life without the party would be like. It is free, democratic and successful, as well as rich in culture and language, and brilliant in science, technology and ideas. While some inside and outside Taiwan might say its democracy is chaotic at times, that is a sign of democracy at work. Taiwan is the antithesis of Beijing’s hegemony and bellicose diplomacy.
While it is true Beijing can affect Taiwan through its foreign policy of economic blackmail and fear-mongering, as long as there are those in the global community who are willing to recognize Taiwan as the democratic diamond in the rough that it is, as the counter to China’s totalitarian system and as a shining example for Chinese as to the true path to freedom, prosperity and perhaps even greatness, there is hope for change in China.
Of course, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is not the one to lead Taiwan in this capacity. I am not sure Taiwan has even seen this “one” yet. That person may be sitting in a classroom somewhere learning about what the world has to offer, or they may be found among the Sunflower movement students.
It is a matter of holding our collective breath and helping the nation survive Ma’s duplicity and his determination to bury Taiwan deep in Beijing’s bosom. Taiwan might start with democracy and throwing Ma’s minions out.
As for the US’ part, its leadership has been wanting of late. In the next round, one can only hope a leader is elected who has the courage to actually speak up for Taiwan, stand up to Beijing’s oppression of Taiwan and Hong Kong, and disentangle the US from China’s economic blackmail, or even the threat of it.
Lee Longhwa
Los Angeles
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