DPP legislative whip Chang Chun-hung's (
At a press conference called by former mayor of Hsinchu Tsai Jen-chien (
But instead, Chang burst into tears as he criticized the media for abusing press freedom.
"Seeing the media abuse freedom of the press to this extent, I'd rather go back to my home in Chinmei [referring to a prison for political prisoners] where there are iron bars to protect me," said the 64-year-old native son in a rare Beijing accent.
Chang added that the media should not play God or jump to conclusions before any legal case is closed or when a case is in legal proceedings.
Dubbed the party's "theory master" by the media, Chung is the only sitting DPP lawmaker of the "Formosa generation" (
When opposition parties were still outlawed during the martial law era, the "Formosa generation" built a political movement around Formosa magazine and helped push Taiwan toward democracy and away from authoritarian rule.
On Dec. 10, 1979, a state crackdown followed an anti-government parade in Kaohsiung that was organized by the magazine. The ruling KMT jailed eight people for their involvement in what later became known as the Kaohsiung Incident (
The Kaohsiung Eight include Chang, Vice President Annette Lu (
Shortly after Chang was released from jail in 1989, the DPP was legalized. He joined the party and became the party's secretary-general.
Because of different ideals, Chang formed a party faction called Formosa, which later split into the New Era Institute and New Dynamic factions.
With a master's in political science from National Taiwan University, Chung was first a KMT member for 14 years and worked at the KMT headquarters for four years.
When the KMT was about to expel Chang because of the pro-democracy theory he advocated in the magazine he served as the editor, Chang withdrew from the party and joined yet another liberal magazine called Taiwan Politics.
The magazine, however, was short-lived. Financially desperate, Chang and his former wife, incumbent DPP lawmaker Hsu Jung-shu (
Six months into the business, the eatery went bust. The couple then moved back to Chang's hometown in Nantou County where Chang made a comeback in his political career.
In 1977, Chang announced his bid to run in the provincial councilor elections and won thanks to the KMT candidate's botched campaign strategy.
But just two years later, Chang and the seven other activists were thrown into jail.
In the meantime, Hsu was elected to the legislature and was in and out of the political limelight.
Lee Wen-chung (
"He [Chang] has inspired me to be a politician," Lee said. "I started to read his books and Taiwan Politics when I was in high school."
Lee said that Chang has a legitimate reason to feel disappointed with today's media.
"As a journalist during the White Terror era, he had to pay a high price for press freedom. Media nowadays, however, tread on the press freedoms strenuously fought for by their forerunners."
Lee described Chang as a "discontented intellectual" and the "role model of all intellectuals of the 1970s."
Another DPP legislator, Chen Zau-nan (
"During the KMT-ruling era, the media saw a suspect as a culprit and a culprit as a convict. The situation has improved little although the DPP has come to power," Chen said.
Chang's emotional appeal deserves the attention of both the media and the public, Chen said.
Chen, who has been Chang's friend and colleague with Chang for over a decade, described Chang as a "thinker" and a "straightforward individual."
"He dares to speak out and cares little about the consequences," he said. "Unlike some party members who prefer drastic measures, Chang worships moderation and peace."
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