Listen to the voice

South Africa celebrates as Mandela marks 90th

AFP, QUNU, SOUTH AFRICA
Saturday, Jul 19, 2008, Page 1

“I have heard that we are not invited but I am going to put on my best suit and stand at the gate just to catch a glimpse of him.” — Thandile Geledwa, a South African

Nelson Mandela, the icon of the anti-apartheid movement and South Africa’s first black president, celebrated his 90th birthday yesterday as tributes poured in from around the world.

While Mandela employed his usual self-deprecating sense of humor, referring to himself as a retired old man, South Africans hailed him as the father of the nation and an unstoppable force for good even though he has long retired.

As newspapers printed special “Madiba” supplements, preparations were under way for celebratory events around the country, including a boxing tournament in honor of the one-time amateur pugilist.

Mandela is scheduled to host a major bash with 500 guests today at his rural homestead in the Eastern Cape but spent yesterday with his family and wife Graca as the couple also celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary.

“We are honored that you wish to celebrate the birthday of a retired old man who no longer has power or influence,” Mandela said in a pre-recorded birthday message.

“We wish you well wherever you are. We are all celebrating and we thank you for joining me in those celebrations,” he said.

Mandela, who served as president from 1994 through 1999 after spending nearly three decades behind bars, has proved a tough act to follow and his birthday has been used by many commentators as an opportunity to draw an unflattering comparison with his successor Thabo Mbeki.

“The sweet celebration of a life of leadership, service and generosity is mixed with the sour taste of a legacy being polluted in front of the old man’s tired eyes,” the Mail & Guardian said in an editorial.

Mbeki, who is scheduled to attend the party today in Qunu, paid generous tribute to Mandela as “the embodiment of what human beings should be in themselves and to others.”

F.W. de Klerk, the last president of the apartheid era South Africa, described Mandela as one of the greatest figures of the 20th century.

“After his inauguration, Nelson Mandela used his personal charm to promote reconciliation and to mold our widely diverse communities into an emerging multicultural nation. This, I believe, will be seen as his greatest legacy,” de Klerk said.

In Qunu, villagers said they were honored by Mandela’s presence even if they have not been invited to today’s party.

“I have heard that we are not invited but I am going to put on my best suit and stand at the gate just to catch a glimpse of him,” 60-year-old Thandile Geledwa said.

“This is a big day for our village, especially for Madiba. It is always nice to hear our place being mentioned in same breath as his name. This makes his birthday our birthday too,” an elated Asive Joyini said.

Photographers and journalists were camped outside the home where a gigantic white marquee has been pitched in anticipation of the event.
　

Listen to the voice

John Kuan a commie? If not, he should sue

By Paul Lin林保華
Saturday, Jul 19, 2008, Page 8

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman John Kuan’s (關中) was recently quoted by Hong Kong’s Wen Wei Po newspaper as saying that “it was the KMT’s ‘sincere hope’ that peaceful unification between the two sides would eventually come if the party stays in power for an extended time.”

Kuan denied earlier this week that he made the remarks, and it is virtually impossible for the Taiwanese public to find out the truth.

Was the report fictional, a distortion of the facts or accurate?

Taiwan’s pan-blue-camp politicians hate it when people label them as pro-communist, and they also like to solve problems through litigious means.

For instance, when former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Wang Shu-hui (王淑慧) and Sandy Yen (莊和子) referred to China Philanthropy Justice Party Chairman Chin Nien-tzu (金念慈) as a communist, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office was of the opinion that the word “communist” defamed Chin, and indicted Wang and Yen.

For this reason, I suggest that Kuan also file a lawsuit against official Chinese media outlets that published the remarks for in effect tagging him as the same.

Of those outlets, the Wen Wei Po is registered in Hong Kong, while the others are registered in China.

There is no such thing as judicial independence in China, thus it should be the Wen Wei Po that is held accountable.

Hong Kong’s legal system has already gradually Sinicized, but during a recent visit to Hong Kong, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (習近平) proposed that the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the Hong Kong government should understand and support each other.

The Hong Kong Bar Association, now chaired by a member of the Political Consultative Conference in Guangdong Province, then made it clear that the judiciary must be independent of the executive and legislative branches.

This statement resolved the concerns of some in the legal community and the general public who worried that the association would be influenced by China’s “united front” strategy.

Although Hong Kong is part of China, this move clearly shows that the people there have more moral integrity and professionalism than Taiwanese politicians who do nothing but adulate China.

Therefore, if Kuan has done nothing that China could take advantage of, he might as well sue the Wen Wei Po for libel. I would be willing to act as a middle man in contacting a Hong Kong lawyer.

However, there are other things worth considering. Kuan has also been quoted as saying that: “I always feel much more excited when I visit the Mainland than when I stay in Taiwan.”

I wonder what it is that excites Kuan so.

If it is because the party-state has disappeared in Taiwan but stubbornly remains in China, and that there is every prospect that China will continue along that road, then he would be violating what Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) described as the “vigorous current of democracy,” not to mention world trends.

If the Wen Wei Po is eventually proven to have published a report based on rumor, we should acknowledge Kuan’s innocence.

But allowing Chinese media outlets to station reporters in Taiwan will only provide them with more opportunities to spread rumors and distort the truth.

Paul Lin is a political commentator based in Taiwan.