What will 2015 bring?
The first day of this year was very foggy and confusing for Taiwanese identity and nationality.
What can we expect this year?
The morning news quoted Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) New Year message as starting with a greeting that included “Taiwanese compatriots,” as if Taiwan were part of China, making all Taiwanese sick and giving them goose bumps all over.
In Taiwan, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) delivered a message calling for social reconciliation, cross-party cooperation and cross-strait peace. He even emphasized his willingness to take responsibility for whatever blame and complaints are laid against the government. Obviously, Ma’s message does not make any sense to the public. People know that all the difficulties Taiwan faces today are tied to him. The question is whether Ma is willing to change his selfish “China-first” policy.
Before the New Year, Minister of Justice Luo Ying-shay (羅瑩雪) said that once the medical evaluation of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was confirmed, his medical parole would be approved and he would be released immediately. While the whole nation was watching, the release was delayed, reportedly because of a traffic jam. It was a lousy excuse to blame the mail delivery system.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said the documents could have been sent by fax or e-mail in just three seconds, and wondered why it took four or five hours instead. In view of Ma’s New Year message of social reconciliation, it was ironic that the government postponed the granting of medical parole for Chen, who has been jailed more than six years.
Unfortunately, after six years, Ma still does not know why people dislike him and why his popularity has dropped to 9.2 percent. Is it his failed “6-3-3” campaign pledge, or his double standards that profit only big business, and not the underpaid college graduates? Or is it because his aides convicted of corruption remain free?
On the same day, the Republic of China (ROC) national flag was raised at the Twin Oaks Estate in Washington.
Representative to the US Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) said the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) had notified the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) beforehand about the event and received approval from US President Barack Obama’s administration.
Shen said that “we not only returned, but we did it with dignity, respect and honor.”
Is this true? It sounds like the US has reinstated its diplomatic relations with the ROC. Shen, as a representative of TECRO, does not even know whom he represents. TECRO’s office is representing Taiwan, not the ROC. The White House sent a clear message that it is willing to upgrade relations with Taiwan, not with the ROC.
That is exactly the dilemma Taiwan is facing today. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Ma’s government have always taken advantage and abused Taiwan’s credit to extend the illusion of the ROC to the overseas Chinese community, misleading Taiwanese to believe that Taiwan is part of the ROC and that the ROC is China. In today’s real world, the only China recognized by the international community is the People’s Republic of China (PRC), not the ROC.
So this year, one of the most important challenges to Taiwanese is to identify their nationality. Are we Taiwanese, or are we Chinese under the PRC or the ROC? Does the US want to void the three communiques and the “one China” policy and reinstate diplomatic relations with the ROC or will it decide to enforce the Taiwan Relations Act and review Taiwan’s status?
John Hsieh
Hayward, California
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