Before Taiwan in May raised its COVID-19 alert to level 3, the nation’s disease prevention had been successful for well over a year.
During that time, former New Power Party (NPP) chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) expressed little approval of the Central Epidemic Command Center, and in the past few months, he has criticized its attempts to purchase the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Huang was one of the leaders of the 2014 Sunflower movement in addition to a campaign against pro-China media. He has been seen as a real “warrior.” Why has he deteriorated in this way?
On social media, the pan-blue, white and yellow camps are often described as if they are on equal terms, but the white and yellow camps must be differentiated from the pan-blue camp, which is a residue of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) party-state of
the past.
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) of the white camp and the NPP of the yellow camp have repeatedly stabbed the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the back. This is born from the arrogance of some opposition leaders such as Huang and Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who is TPP chairman.
Ko and Huang like to think of themselves as “warriors,” and as there is no glory in attacking the KMT, which is everybody’s punching bag, they are targeting the DPP, trying to make themselves look like legendary hero Wu Song (武松) in the classical Chinese novel Water Margin, in which the character kills a tiger with his bare hands.
Apart from their arrogance, Ko and Huang are also motivated by jealousy. They are just like ancient Chinese strategist Pang Juan (龐涓) of the Warring States Period.
Pang loved his native Wei state, but he loved power more. When he saw himself outperformed by Sun Bin (孫臏) for a position at the state’s royal court, instead of accepting the king’s choice, he cooked up false charges against his former competitor, which led to Sun fleeing Wei for its rival state of Qi, which in turn defeated Wei.
Now, that is an example of a stab in the back.
Ko, Huang and other opposition leaders first entered politics through elections, stepping onto the political stage thanks to the trust invested in them by voters. Therefore, perhaps we should all reflect on our own behavior.
Taiwanese have long hoped that a “third force” would emerge to build a Tower of Babel so that society could climb toward a heaven that rises away from the divide separating the pan-blue and pan-green camps. Those who want to build that tower think of themselves as equals of the gods.
Perhaps the third force should build a bridge, not a tower, that links the pan-blue and pan-green camps.
When a politician does what is right, regardless of whether they belong to the pan-blue or pan-green camp, the third force should give them credit for their achievement.
For example, the DPP should be praised for its insistence on democracy and the rule of law, and the KMT should be praised for its past opposition to the Chinese Communist Party. That way, the arrogant Lucifer and the jealous Abaddon will no longer be able to cause a disturbance.
Chang Jim-way is a junior-high school teacher.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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