At the 35th Golden Melody Awards late last month, indigenous Taiwanese singer Panai Kusui won Best Taiwanese Album for Ia-Po (夜婆). In her acceptance speech, she said that this year “also marked the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident. Let’s not forget.” Internet commenters in China responded strongly, while Chinese censors rushed to Chinese social media platforms and outlets to remove her remarks.
Panai’s speech was the most moving segment of the entire awards, meant to give people a sense of the importance of freedom, and highlight the massive differences between the countries on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
In Taiwan, people have freedom of speech and expression. They can openly discuss and reflect on historic events and issues.
In China, just the mention of the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre is censored or blocked, and Beijing has heavily suppressed Panai’s music. Examples such as these directly shed light on how different the systems, freedoms and oppression are on the other side of the Strait.
Nineteen eighty-nine, the year the protests broke out in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, was a critical moment in Taiwan’s democratization, producing far-reaching ripples for the nation’s development. China, on the other hand, brutally crackdown on the protestors in Beijing, which is an indelible scar in its history.
That year created a clear juxtaposition of Taiwan and China, forming a major divide for the countries’ developmental paths.
Taiwan’s musicians participate in a diverse array of social movements, reflecting the importance Taiwan’s music world places on social responsibility. Panai is one such performer. Her activities and voice epitomize Taiwan’s music world.
Lin Ta-jun (林大鈞), bassist of the Taiwanese rock band The Chairman (董事長樂團), praised Panai, saying that she has long been a voice for human rights and social movements, putting her words into action through her music.
“She is like Bob Dylan using his music to express his anti-war message,” he said.
More than 20 languages are spoken in Taiwan. That diversity reflects how accepting and diverse Taiwanese society is. At the Golden Melody Awards, the mother tongues of various groups are blended into a fantastic symphony. It shows the multitude and confidence within Taiwan’s music scene.
Panai’s voice is the best example of this culture of diversity, and she is an inspiration and encouragement for all of Taiwanese society.
Panai’s acceptance speech gives us an opportunity to think about the value of our freedoms. In Taiwan, we enjoy freedom of speech and expression, and we can openly discuss and reflect on the past. In China, this kind of action is heavily censored or blocked. That difference allows us to cherish all we have and know.
Tseng Chien-ju is the pen name of a legislative assistant.
Translated by Tim Smith
China badly misread Japan. It sought to intimidate Tokyo into silence on Taiwan. Instead, it has achieved the opposite by hardening Japanese resolve. By trying to bludgeon a major power like Japan into accepting its “red lines” — above all on Taiwan — China laid bare the raw coercive logic of compellence now driving its foreign policy toward Asian states. From the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas to the Himalayan frontier, Beijing has increasingly relied on economic warfare, diplomatic intimidation and military pressure to bend neighbors to its will. Confident in its growing power, China appeared to believe
After more than three weeks since the Honduran elections took place, its National Electoral Council finally certified the new president of Honduras. During the campaign, the two leading contenders, Nasry Asfura and Salvador Nasralla, who according to the council were separated by 27,026 votes in the final tally, promised to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan if elected. Nasralla refused to accept the result and said that he would challenge all the irregularities in court. However, with formal recognition from the US and rapid acknowledgment from key regional governments, including Argentina and Panama, a reversal of the results appears institutionally and politically
In 2009, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) made a welcome move to offer in-house contracts to all outsourced employees. It was a step forward for labor relations and the enterprise facing long-standing issues around outsourcing. TSMC founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) once said: “Anything that goes against basic values and principles must be reformed regardless of the cost — on this, there can be no compromise.” The quote is a testament to a core belief of the company’s culture: Injustices must be faced head-on and set right. If TSMC can be clear on its convictions, then should the Ministry of Education
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) provided several reasons for military drills it conducted in five zones around Taiwan on Monday and yesterday. The first was as a warning to “Taiwanese independence forces” to cease and desist. This is a consistent line from the Chinese authorities. The second was that the drills were aimed at “deterrence” of outside military intervention. Monday’s announcement of the drills was the first time that Beijing has publicly used the second reason for conducting such drills. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership is clearly rattled by “external forces” apparently consolidating around an intention to intervene. The targets of
RSS