"The ROC has had no territory but a title since its territory was occupied by the Chinese communists in 1949. Also, it has disappeared from the international community since its seat in the United Nations was replaced by the People's Republic of China in 1971."

Still recovering from last Monday's heart surgery, Lee said, "The land occupied by the ROC actually belongs to the Taiwanese people. I believe one day we will call out aloud the name of our country -- Taiwan."

Vice President Annette Lu failed to attend the rally, despite assurances from organizers that she would be there.

Organizer Wang Cheng-chung said, "Although the vice president didn't show up, we are still pleased for the support President Chen Shui-bian gave to us when he said, `If I weren't the president, I would have jointed the rally myself.'"

The DPP yesterday also drew as many as 30,000 rank-and-file supporters from around the nation to join the rally. Led by deputy secretaries general Lee Ying-yuan and Lee Chin-yung, a total of 40 party lawmakers yesterday also participated in the event.

Politicians full of sound and fury

By the Liberty Times editorial

According to the spirit of democratic politics, a government's rule and policies must receive the people's stamp of approval. This approval is normally provided through elections.

It is true that the democratic electoral procedure bestows legitimacy on a government's rule, but for every positive, there is a negative -- to receive the support of a majority of the public, political parties and politicians often have to fawn on anyone who is a potential supporter.

Unless we're talking about a government with exceptionally strong resistance to pressure and one that is particularly idealistic, a policy running counter to the interests of these supporters will often be recalled if it is met with objections while still in the planning stages, even if it should meet requirements for social justice and legal procedures and embody the spirit of reform.

All reform fervor and idealism becomes all bark with little bite, and may even be transformed into a "beautiful mistake" merely leading to a lot of empty joy among a population expecting reform.

This tendency to try to create policies that appeal to everyone becomes more obvious the closer we get to an election. In other words, as we get closer to an election, questions of right or wrong, fact or fiction, get less room in politics, and the only concern is the question of how many votes will be won.

If there aren't enough votes, it doesn't matter how good the reforms are or how good the policy implementation, they will be temporarily put aside or quickly changed until the elections are over.

In fact, it isn't only a matter of not being able to do the things that are right or correct. No one, whether from the opposition or the government, is willing to oppose even a policy that may spell disaster for national finances, since this would be tantamount to supporting a lost cause, annoying the public and committing political suicide.

Some people therefore say that politicians in general care only about winning or losing elections and achieving power, fame and wealth, while true statesmen care about their place in history and have a sense of mission which makes them feel that they have a responsibility towards country, society and people.

Looking at it from this perspective, the blue opposition camp must oppose President Chen Shui-bian, always "singing the demise of Taiwan", and praising China, as if they were wishing for social chaos in Taiwan. This narrow-mindedness isn't even worth discussing.

However, since the government itself claims that the KMT's 50-year-rule is a millstone around their neck, the Chen government, which is charged with the great undertaking of ruling the country, should implement quick and decisive reforms so as not to let down public expectations following the transfer of political power in March 2000.

However, we have found that the closer we get to next year's presidential election, both government and opposition become more extreme, be it consciously or unconsciously. They fight each other viciously, treating people's interests as chips in their political poker game.

In addition to politicians' wars of words, their various political actions and campaign promises are simply meant to curry favor with voters, while rational, objective discussion and determination to carry out these proposed policies are lacking.

Take the opposition parties as an example. Not only have they failed to propose any constructive suggestions on how to deal with various natural disasters and corruption cases, but they have also politicized many issues, blaming every mistake on Chen's administration and making government administration even more difficult.

More seriously, in order to win the upcoming election, the pan-blue camp has ignored the government's financial difficulties and launched a drive to gain more than 1 million signatures protesting the "three highs" -- high college tuition fees, the hikes in national health insurance premiums, and the high unemployment rate. They have turned major public affairs that should be discussed in the Legislative Yuan into street protests and campaign activities.

In fact, the policy of high college tuition fees was formed by the former KMT government. The DPP has not implemented any major increases in college tuition fees since it came to power. If blame is to be assigned, the KMT should turn its gaze on itself, since the KMT introduced the policy. Furthermore, when comparing Taiwan's tuition fees to fees in Europe and the US, it is questionable if fees in Taiwan could be considered high.

When it comes to the health-insurance premium hikes, they were implemented in response to the financial difficulties of the National Health Insurance (NHI) program. The policy may, of course, be flawed. But until all the problems have been resolved, the question of how to maintain the healthy operation of the NHI without raising premiums is an issue that affects the interests of all patients. Therefore, increasing income and decreasing expenditures simultaneously, while also initiating useful reforms and abolishing harmful practices, is the right way to go.

Getting to the root of the unemployment issue, the pan-blue camp's responsibility is in fact no less than that of the pan-green camp.

The KMT has always been in favor of opening direct links, the relocation of local businesses to China, cross-strait marriages, studies and various exchanges, and it is without a doubt this pro-China trend that has undermined the island's industries and caused the capital outflows and the high unemployment rate.

By promoting the deregulation of cross-strait exchanges while at the same time launching an anti-unemployment signature drive, the pan-blue camp can be suspected of misleading the public and trying to pass the buck.

No doubt the opposition parties are immature, but neither can the DPP expect a better rating of its governing performance over the past three years. During its early days in power, the DPP indeed went through a process of learning, groping about and negotiating. This year, the nation's economy has been slowly recovering, a sign indicating that the hardships are over and that better times are ahead.

However, with the presidential election drawing near, the government is more eager to attract votes and as a result, it is gradually losing its ideals and its ability to resist pressure.

Although the government still is able to persist in its "Taiwan first" ideology and localization, as well as the belief in "one country on either side" of the Taiwan Strait, many reforms that should have been initiated were either retracted at the last minute or stillborn.

Especially when demonstrations were organized to oppose the reforms and pro-unification media tagged along by kicking up a fuss, the government most of the time ended up making policy U-turns and negotiating with opponents to wind up matters.

The seriousness of this kind of "election syndrome" can be observed in the government's recent move to deal with idle university residences, dormitories and properties, which has triggered a backlash from some retired National Taiwan University professors.

The idle state-owned housing and land have been either occupied or left completely unattended. Not only is it a fact that these national assets have not been put to their best use to produce benefits, but they have also become blind spots in public safety and sanitation, as well as dark and desolate corners that have contributed to an abnormal city landscape.

This is not unique to university campuses.

A capable government should have adopted active actions to manage these idle state-owned properties. How can it succumb to the opposition of a minority?

Democracy is the nation's most valuable asset. But the practice of currying favor with the public to secure electoral victory and not daring insist on ideals in an attempt at pleasing the public are the worst weaknesses in democratic development.

We expect both the government and the opposition to discard their temporary electoral interests, and put "Taiwan first" both when it comes to national status and recognition and policy behavior and political views, and pursue the happiness of the 23 million Taiwanese. This is where Taiwan's hope lies.

Nameless recognition

While name rectification and name preservation are back on the political stage of Taiwan, the government should take this opportunity to go one step and hold a nationwide letter-writing campaign to urge all members of the US Congress and President George W. Bush to establish a full diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, without touching on the name issue.

Previously, calls for normalization of relations with Taiwan were done in the form of civilian actions. Since President Chen Shui-bian took office, such actions have been diminishing drastically for one simple reason: citizens defered to Chen on diplomatic matters. But the results were not what they expected.

Diplomats from Taiwan are handcuffed by the bureaucratic nature of the Taiwanese diplomatic modus operandi and therefore lack not only creativity, but also lack the energy to initiate policy changes. In short, the diplomatic mechanism is just too frozen to handle the aging but sensitive issue of normalization.

Last week, for the first time in history, a US Representative officially called on the White House to pursue full diplomatic relations with Taipei ("US congressman calls for diplomatic recognition," Aug. 31, page 3). I hope the government, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, catches Representative Peter Deutsch's ball nicely and keeps dribbling it as long as possible until it can be passed to other pro-Taiwan players on the international playing field.

Name rectification is a contentious issue domestically, but establishing diplomatic relations internationally is an issue that can gain full support.

A mechanism to mobilize the society on full diplomatic ties with nations of the world via appealing to foreign politicians would take little effort. The approach may be primitive, yet it is useful, powerful and generates solidarity. Besides, there is no better time than the present.

The action can be duplicated in Europe and elsewhere. Focusing on the US is merely to propagate the idea. Politicians of many countries lack knowledge about the issue between Taiwan and China. Many of them do not even know that Taiwan is a sovereign country.

It is a pity that Taiwan is viewed as a non-governmental organization in the international arena at present.

Joshua Tin

Taipei

A pickle of pig's hearts, politics and cow dung

By Wu Chin-fa

`Ostensibly, these are "normal" people with... angelic faces. But what are their inner worlds like?

Employees of the KMT-owned Broadcasting Corporation of China applauded and cheered in their office upon hearing that the 80-year-old former president Lee Teng-hui had developed heart disease and had to be hospitalized.

When people of such ilk serve as broadcasters, what exactly do they broadcast to the Taiwanese people? Do they broadcast the message of their Satanic hatred to every corner of the country?

During the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, moments before one plane hit the twin towers, the terrorists told the passengers through the intercom what they were going to do. When fearful women and children hugged each other and cried, one smiling terrorist told them, "Don't be silly. It won't hurt."

More than 3,000 people died in the attacks. A group of Chinese reporters were visiting the US when TV channels aired footage of the planes hitting the towers. They applauded and cheered upon seeing those scenes. The US government angrily ordered the reporters to leave the country.

In Taiwan, media star and politician Sisy Chen appeared on TV dressed up like al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Wearing a smile, she talked about more than 3,000 innocent deaths in the same easy manner as she had talked about her sex affairs with men.

Ostensibly, these are "normal" people with high levels of publicity and angelic faces. But what are their inner worlds like?

A political prisoner I know was jailed for 15 years during the White Terror period. All his friends implicated in the same case were executed. He faced a broken family and some of his family members had died when he was released.

At the times of former presidents Chiang Kai-shek's and Chiang Ching-kuo's deaths, he hid away at his residence in the deep mountains and did not talk to anyone or take phone calls for a whole day. I asked him after the events what he was doing on those days. He said with a peaceful countenance, "I forced myself to think quietly about the meanings of the two Chiangs' lives and my life."

This is one kind of disposition, culture or upbringing.

When DPP candidate You Ying-lung was defeated in the recent Hualien County Commissioner by-election, PFP Chairman James Soong said the DPP lost because "the pigs were too stupid."

Sisy Chen said, "People who voted for You are `toothless' people," [a pun on "shameless"]. Chen was poking fun on You's campaign promise offering free dentures for elderly people in the county.

This is another kind of disposition, like that of those BCC employees who cheered when former president Lee was hospitalized. Brewed and fermented in the same cultural "pickle pot," they exude the same pickled odor.

Life can be depraved or noble. Human beings are one of the very few animals that can clap their hands. One can send out love by clapping one's hands; one can also send out hatred with the same act. This is determined by whether one's mind is filled with cow dung or a bodhisattva's disposition.

Wu Chin-fa is a columnist.