Taiwan reports first case of A(H1N1) flu
　

ALERT RAISED: Health officials are trying to contact passengers who sat near an Australian doctor on Cathay Pacific flight 468 from Hong Kong on Monday

By Jimmy Chuang
STAFF REPORTER, WITH CNA
Thursday, May 21, 2009, Page 1
　

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a phase 2 alert yesterday after the first case of swine flu was confirmed in Taiwan. The center raised the pandemic alert level after a 52-year-old Australian doctor, who had flu symptoms when he arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Monday, was confirmed as having A(H1N1) influenza.

The center urged the public not to panic, saying that the A(H1N1) virus has a low fatality rate and that Taiwan’s medical and epidemic prevention capabilities can keep the disease under control.

The 52-year-old doctor, who is based in Taitung but has reportedly worked aboard cruise liners for the past two months, had a fever of 38.3°C at a quarantine station upon arrival at the airport, CDC spokesman Shih Wen-yi (施文儀) said.

He was taken by ambulance to Taoyuan General Hospital and was put under quarantine, Shih said.

A CDC lab confirmed around 4am yesterday that he had the A(H1N1) virus. He is in good condition in a negative pressure isolation room at the hospital, officials said.

The CDC said the Australian left New York on Sunday aboard Cathay Pacific Airways flight CX831 to Hong Kong and then arrived in Taiwan on Cathay Pacific flight 468.

His seat on the flight from New York was “41H,” while his seat on the flight to Taipei was “62K,” Shih said.

The CDC is looking for 60 passengers who sat three rows in front and behind the man on the Taipei flight so they can be quarantined and tested. As of press time, 57 had been contacted.

Department of Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) told the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus in a phone call yesterday that he would return home from the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva and could arrive this morning at the earliest.

On Tuesday Yeh told the WHA that Taiwan’s participation in the assembly not only benefited its people but was in the best interests of the international community.

“We are willing to share with you our new advances and experiences. I have full confidence that united, we can meet the challenges of this pandemic flu,” Yeh said in his four-minute speech, delivered in English.

Noting that Taiwan had joined the International Health Regulations (IHR) network in January, Yeh said: “This is a significant step forward for Chinese Taipei’s management and control of communicable diseases. And for the world, there will be one less breach in the WHO’s line of defense against the pandemic flu.”

In related news, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Twu Shiing-jer (?? angered KMT lawmakers yesterday by describing the nation’s first confirmed H1N1 case as “the biggest present to [President] Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for his first anniversary in office.”

KMT caucus secretary-general Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) criticized Twu for “using the health of the Taiwanese people as a tool for political wrangling.”

Twu later said that what he meant was Yeh should boost his epidemic prevention work as an anniversary gift to Ma.

WORLD NEWS

The number of confirmed swine flu cases worldwide passed the 10,000 mark, WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said yesterday in Geneva, as the total reached 10,243 including 80 deaths.

“There is an increase of 413 cases in the past 24 hours, with most in the United States with 346 new cases ... and in Japan there are 51 new cases,” she said.

The WHO data refers to laboratory confirmed cases reported by countries early yesterday and includes cases from previous days or weeks that have only just been confirmed by testing.

However, Australia confirmed four new cases yesterday, including two schoolboys whose classes were quarantined as a precaution, while Japan’s swine flu epidemic spread to Tokyo as a 16-year-old high school girl who recently visited the US tested positive for the virus yesterday.

Japanese cases of the (A)H1N1 virus had been concentrated in the western prefectures of Hyogo, Osaka and Shiga, with the number rising to 232 yesterday.

Mexico also reported two more confirmed deaths from the virus, raising its total to 74.

Taiwanese should decide pace of cross-strait ties: Ma
　

By Ko Shu-ling
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, May 21, 2009, Page 1

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday the development of cross-strait relations should be decided by Taiwanese, but it was premature to make a decision now.

“Whether what’s going to be the future between Taiwan and the mainland should be decided, on our part, by the people of Taiwan, maybe by future generations,” Ma said in English during a press conference with foreign correspondents to mark his first year in office.

“I don’t think conditions are ripe for making a decision now,” he said.

Ma walked down from the podium six times to listen to reporters’ questions more clearly.

He ruled out holding a referendum on an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) his administration wants to sign with Beijing, saying only political issues require a popular vote.

“Usually, issues of economic nature will not require a referendum,” he said. “I think unless we touch upon the issue of either unification or independence, otherwise we don’t need a referendum for that purpose.”

It wasn’t necessary to hold a referendum on economic issues because polls could gauge public opinion as effectively if they were conducted scientifically and by more than one agency, he said.

Ma said he had made it clear that during his term of office, whether it was four years or eight, he would not engage in any talks with China on unification, nor would he pursue de jure independence for Taiwan, or use force to resolve cross-strait disputes.

Beijing must remove or dismantle its missiles targeted at Taiwan if both sides are to negotiate a peace agreement or military confidence building mechanism, he said.

His goal was to establish peace and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait, Ma said, and his policies were based on the concept of “three nos”: no unification, no independence and no use of force.

Although China’s leaders were still communist and Beijing’s policy toward Taiwan was basically the same, China’s strategy toward Taiwan has changed, emphasizing preventing formal independence instead of unification, he said.

“They have demonstrated a very clear sophistication and flexibility in their policy,” he added. “We certainly appreciate their new pragmatism, their new sophistication.”

Beijing has also responded to his initiatives, such as direct cross-strait flights and an economic pact, Ma said, adding that his China strategy has changed since he took office.

“In one year, we’ve transformed the Taiwan Strait from a dangerous flash point to a conduit for peace and prosperity,” he said.

It will take wisdom, perseverance and pragmatism for both sides to reach a consensus and the country must heed all possible pitfalls along the way, he said.

Ma, who was vocal about the Tiananmen Massacre before becoming president, sidestepped a question about the incident, saying he tried to be consistent on different issues.

“That is why I pay a lot of attention to my campaign promises, trying not to go back on any of these,” he said. “It’s very tough because situations do change, but I try to maintain consistence and this is the reason why people trust me. They understand that if I say something I will abide by it. I think this is a very important essence of a political figure.”

He said he would issue a statement on June 4 to mark the 20th anniversary of the massacre.

US congressman call for overhaul of Taiwan policy
　

NAVAL VISITS: Republican Representative Ed Royce told a conference at George Washington University that engagement with Taiwan is very important

By William Lowther
STAFF REPORTER IN WASHINGTON
Thursday, May 21, 2009, Page 1

A leading US congressman has told a Washington conference that the administration of US President Barack Obama should rethink US policies toward Taiwan.

Republican Representative Ed Royce, a member of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee and a senior member of the Asia subcommittee, made a string of recommendations, including allowing US Navy vessels to visit Taiwanese ports.

His address to a George Washington University conference on “The Future of US-Taiwan Relations” came amid growing pressure from the US Congress for a full Taiwan policy review.

Senior Washington sources have told the Taipei Times that the White House is seriously considering such a move.

Royce said Congress was concerned that despite the many moves by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to improve relations with China, there had been no military “drawdown” by Beijing.

“In 2001 there were 250 missiles [aimed at Taiwan], I remember the briefings. Last time I checked there were 1,400 missiles and other batteries were still coming on line. In terms of security, America’s Asian partners fear that the US is an Asian power in decline,” he said.

“How Washington treats Taiwan will signal how Washington sees its role in the Pacific. And that’s another reason why I believe that engagement with Taiwan is very important. Taiwan faces one of the most complex and lethal military threats in the world,” he said.

Royce said the US would gain from increased intelligence sharing with Taiwan and urged Obama to make greater use of Taiwan’s linguistic and cultural advantages in the region.

He said the Asia-Pacific region had been marked by rapid trade liberalization, but that starting in the 1990s the People’s Republic of China (PRC) had warned Asian countries not to sign free trade agreements (FTAs) with Taiwan.

“The numerous regional and global FTAs already in place ... are steadily undermining Taiwan’s international competitiveness through trade and investment discrimination,” he said.

“There have been dramatic developments in Taiwan. We need to think about setting objectives. US officials can tick off their priorities when it comes to the People’s Republic of China, but when you ask them what are the priorities with respect to Taiwan, forget it. This is why we have to have a focus on rethinking our policy,” Royce said.

Royce was the first congressman since Ma came to power to propose a specific list of priorities.

“First, keep Taiwan honest to its democratic legacy. There’s always the chance of slipping in terms to commitment to freedom of speech. In any country, there is a tendency to try to stifle debate and shut down political opponents. This is wrong. If the government strays from its principles, it’s our responsibility as Americans to help the Taiwanese to stand up for free speech,” he said.

“We should revisit the Taiwan guidelines. The US needs to find ways to more openly engage Taiwan’s democratic leaders. The Taiwan guidelines are arcane and inappropriate for the type of relationship we have with Taiwan. They are 30 years old and to my knowledge they have only been modified once. It would make sense to review and adapt our policies. It is time to do this. China and Taiwan are much different today than they were then. Detente notwithstanding, the Taiwan Strait is a flash point. It is essential that US policy makers be able to directly communicate with the leaders of Taiwan. Restrictions on US-Taiwan contact are counter-productive. Not just that but they can also be dangerous,” he said.

“In terms of international organizations, the US should push for efforts to get Taiwan membership — full membership — in the World Health Organization. This week [participation in the World Health Assembly] marks a big step, but we shouldn’t be complacent. Why not welcome Taiwan to join other UN organizations? That’s the role we should take now,” he said.

“We should send a Cabinet member on a visit to Taipei. Disappointingly, no Bush Cabinet members visited Taiwan,” he said.

“In terms of a free trade agreement, one of the concerns in the past was intellectual property rights. But there has been tremendous advances in Taiwan on that issue. Taiwan’s entry into the WTO provides a framework for a FTA so let’s put together a roadmap for this shared goal,” he said.

“Port visits. I think that allowing US naval port visits to Taiwan is in order. China denied a port call for a US naval ship to Hong Kong. A ship that was in distress. We should let Beijing know that we have somewhere else to go,” he said.

“Similarly, the PRC has not joined the Proliferation Security Initiative. Why not enlist Taiwan’s help in stopping the proliferation of missile and nuclear technology that we are concerned about coming out of North Korea?” he said.

“If we want cross-strait detente to succeed, President Ma must deal from a position of strength. The US should be prepared to proceed with appropriate arms sales to Taiwan. The arms sales incentivize China to pursue political, not military, means to reconcile its differences with Taiwan,” Royce said.

Yeh’s ‘heckler’ shares her story
　

By Hu Hui-ning
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, May 21, 2009, Page 2
　

The Taiwanese overseas student who heckled Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) in Geneva on Tuesday said she went directly to Yeh because her previous requests to meet him had been turned down.

Rebutting allegations that she barged into a private party, Huang Hai-ning (黃海寧) told the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) that she and her friends learned at the last minute that Yeh was to appear at a five-star hotel for a banquet. They sat in the hotel coffee shop until representatives from other countries left before approaching Yeh, she said.

Huang, the daughter of former Democratic Progressive Party Taichung County concilor Huang Pin-huang (黃丙煌), said that while they were sitting at the coffee shop, the atmosphere was calm. At one point, the Honduran representative thought she was a DOH official, but she told him she was not and that she had come to see the Taiwanese representative. Hotel staff were also friendly to her and greeted her warmly, she said, adding that her group had no intention to embarrass Taiwanese officials.

After the banquet concluded, Huang went into the banquet hall and asked Yeh what title he was using at the World Health Assembly (WHA), Huang said. In the beginning, Yeh politely asked her which media she represented, she said. After Huang replied that she was an overseas student, Yeh turned away without answering her question, Huang said.

Saying that she did not expect Yeh would respond this way, Huang said she continued to ask Yeh to answer her question, but Yeh became angry and called her “shameful” and “not a Taiwanese because [Huang] does not speak the Taiwanese dialect [Hoklo, also known as Taiwanese].”

Huang said she thought Yeh was trying to change the topic and persisted in asking him to answer her question, adding that she repeated her question in both Taiwanese and Hakka to show him that she could speak both dialects. She said this further infuriated Yeh, who raised his voice but still refused to answer her question. She said the entire process was videotaped.

Huang said that Yeh should apologize for losing his temper abroad, calling her names and causing ethnic conflict. She said that as Taiwan’s representative, Yeh should have remained calm under all circumstances.

Huang called on the Taiwanese delegation to insist that Taiwan is not a province of China, and that Taiwan does not need to take orders from China. She said she hoped the Taiwanese delegation would be more aware of the nation’s sovereignty rights and stop belittling the country’s dignity. She said Taiwan’s participation at the WHA should be under the name “Taiwan.”

Aborigines wait for action on Ma’s promises
　

By Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, May 21, 2009, Page 3

“Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Chang Jen-hsiang said when she presented her policy agenda to the Internal Administration Committee meeting that there was still much dispute between Aborigines and non-Aborigines on autonomy bills. I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, but the legislative process [for autonomy] has been halted ever since.”— Chen Cheng-tsung, secretary-general of the Aboriginal Alliance for the Defense of the Aboriginal Basic Act

Before President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office in May last year, he made a lot of promises to the nation’s Aborigines, but one year later a number of people, including lawmakers and Aboriginal groups, are disappointed with the government’s performance on Aboriginal issues.

Saying that full-scale Aboriginal autonomy was too complicated an issue, Ma promised that his government would grant autonomy to Aborigines on a trial basis to iron out problems if they appeared.

Having seen the destruction typhoons and mudslides caused Aboriginal homes and farm roads connecting far-flung Aboriginal communities to the outside world, Ma promised that the new government would spend NT$50 billion (US$1.5 billion) over the course of four years to improve infrastructure in Aboriginal regions including roads, bridges, embankments, water and electricity facilities and to improve the fire-fighting capacity of remote communities. Ma promised in his Aboriginal policy White Paper that his government would survey communities at risk of mudslides and resettle them to safer areas.

Everything sounded perfect. Hence, 90 percent of the nation’s Aborigines voted for Ma, Aboriginal Alliance for the Defense of the Aboriginal Basic Act (捍衛原基法大聯盟) secretary-general Chen Cheng-tsung (陳政宗) said.

“We Aborigines expected transitional justice for the injustice we’ve suffered throughout history. We expected policies that would promote ethnic equality and we expected smooth implementation of Aboriginal policies [once Ma took office],” Chen told a news conference earlier this month. “But we went from having high expectations to being greatly disappointed.”

“The past year has proven one thing — there is still no justice for Aborigines,” he said.

Chen said there has been no progress at all for the bills on Aboriginal autonomy and Aboriginal traditional domains — both were submitted for legislative review by the previous Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government.

“Council of Indigenous Peoples [CIP] Minister Chang Jen-hsiang (章仁香) said when she presented her policy agenda to the Internal Administration Committee meeting that there was still much dispute ­between Aborigines and non-­Aborigines on autonomy bills,” Chen said. “I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, but the legislative process [for autonomy] has been halted ever since.”

DPP Legislator Chen Ying (陳瑩) of the Puyuma tribe panned the CIP for not even having started executing the “NT$50 billion infrastructure” policy that Ma promised.

“The CIP only asked for a total budget of NT$8.8 billion, which would not add up to NT$50 billion even if it’s multiplied by four,” she said.

The CIP rebutted Chen Ying’s statement by providing a list titled “infrastructure development project for Aboriginal regions” for this year that included budgets from several government institutions such as the CIP itself, the Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MOTC), the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Department of Health, the Ministry of Education and the Council of Sports Affairs that would add up to NT$12.6 billion.

But Chen Ying said those ­budgets do not apply.

“How could you include ­budgets for administrative costs in six ministries, for a Shimen Reservoir ­renovation project, for education and for promoting sports as part of the NT$50 billion infrastructure plan?” she asked. “Ma specifically promised — and it’s written in his Aboriginal policy White Paper — that the NT$50 billion project is about improving roads, bridges, water and electricity and fire-fighting capacity.”

Chen Ying wasn’t the only person with that question.

The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) own Aboriginal legislators Chien Tung-ming (簡東明) of the Paiwan tribe, Liao Kuo-tung (廖國棟) of the Amis tribe and People First Party Legislator Lin Cheng-er (林正二) of the Amis tribe, agreed with Chen Ying and worked with her to draft a bill that would turn Ma’s NT$50 billion infrastructure policy promise into a legally binding special piece of legislation.

KMT Legislator Kung Wen-chi (孔文吉) of the Sediq tribe sighed when asked by the Taipei Times for his thoughts on Chang’s performance in the past year.

“I would give her a failing grade,” he said. “I understand that some issues, like autonomy, may be a bit complicated and controversial, but she should at least try to start on the infrastructure projects.”

Looking into some of the reasons that many policies and projects have been delayed, Association for Taiwan Indigenous Peoples’ Policies board member Yapasuyongu e’ Akuyana agreed with Kung.

“Instead of taking the initiative in coordinating between different government agencies for the welfare of the nation’s Aborigines, the CIP usually passes the buck,” he said.

For example, when Aborigines asked the CIP about repairing roads in Aboriginal regions, “the CIP would say it’s the MOTC or the Council of Agriculture’s job,” he said

“When we asked the CIP about improving fire-fighting capacity in remote Aboriginal villages, the CIP wanted us to talk to the Forestry Bureau or the National Fire Agency,” he said.

However, when the Aborigines turned to other agencies, they would only be referred back to the CIP, Akuyana said.

“I feel that we Aborigines are left alone, with no one to back us up even though there’s the CIP,” he said.

Kung and Chen Cheng-tsung both said they had the feelings that the CIP, under Chang’s leadership, is not siding with the Aborigines.

“Amendments to the Local Government Act [地方制度法] is just one of the many, many examples,” Kung said.

Amendments to the law, submitted by the Cabinet and passed by the legislature, would allow cities to merge with counties and upgrade their administrative status together as an expanded city.

However, the amended law doesn’t say anything about what would happen to Aboriginal townships when they are merged and become districts in cities.

At the moment, the law stipulates that only Aborigines may run for Aboriginal township mayors. However, city district chiefs are appointed by mayors without restriction.

“It’s sad that the CIP didn’t raise the issue at Cabinet meetings,” Kung said.

The CIP rebutted the accusations through a press release, saying that it never stopped defending Aborigines and that it would fulfill Ma’s Aboriginal policy objectives “as soon the necessary administrative process is completed.”

Sorry conduct at the WHA

Thursday, May 21, 2009, Page 8

Kudos to Taiwanese student Huang Hai-ning (黃海寧) and her fellow protesters for confronting Department of Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) over his dubious representation of Taiwan at the ongoing World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting in Geneva.

As a seasoned politician, Yeh’s angry reaction to the students’ simple question was dumbfounding.

“In what capacity is Taiwan attending the WHA?” they asked.

Rather than responding to the students’ legitimate query with political savvy and civility, Yeh dodged the question. He first challenged Huang to speak in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) to prove she was Taiwanese and then asked why he should answer her question.

Yeh asked: “Who loves Taiwan more than I do?” He then launched into a tirade, pointing a finger at Huang and saying “shame on you” and “people like you are useless.” She had caused Taiwan to lose face, he said.

Why was the minister so ticked off over one simple question?

The Presidential Office has stuck by its claim that it knows nothing about the existence of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between China and the WHO stipulating that communication between the global health body and Taiwan can only take place with Beijing’s consent. Yeh, however, has admitted that he knows of the MOU, which was signed in 2005. As the nation’s representative to the WHA, he has the responsibility to respond to the concerns of the Taiwanese public, overseas or not.

Many remember how former minister of finance Shirley Kuo (郭婉容) surprised and impressed the international community when she stood silently with arms folded in protest as the Chinese national anthem was played at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) meeting in Beijing in 1989.

Many also recall how Taiwan’s representatives to the meetings of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) — the precursor of the WTO — under the administration of president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) protested against Chinese attempts to block or intervene against its application to join the world trade body.

As late as May 6 last year, central bank Governor Perng Fai-nan (彭淮南) continued the tradition of protesting the ADB’s unilateral changing of Taiwan’s designation to “Taipei, China” in 1985 by including it in his speech at the bank’s meeting in Madrid.

Even President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Sept. 6, 2007 — as the presidential candidate of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) — cited Taiwan’s participation in the ADB as an example of how Taiwan made its voice heard.

As Yeh himself said on Monday, the nation’s participation at the WHA has drawn a lot of attention from the international press. But if he is “proud of Taiwan” as he says, he should take the opportunity to let the world know that Taiwan is Taiwan — and not embrace the title “Chinese Taipei.”

Yeh had the courage to chide the Taiwanese students, but he didn’t have the courage to voice even one small protest during his speech at the WHA yesterday.

Let the public be the judge on who has behaved appropriately in this incident — overseas Taiwanese students who insist that Taiwan participate in the WHA with its dignity intact, or a Cabinet official who stays silent and falls apart when called on his behavior.

Open letter to Taiwan’s president

Thursday, May 21, 2009, Page 8

Dear President Ma,

On the occasion of the first anniversary of your presidency, we, the undersigned, scholars and writers from the US, Canada, Europe and Australia, wish to publicly address our concerns to you about a number of trends in Taiwan, as well as several specific developments.

We raise these issues as international supporters of Taiwan’s democracy who care deeply about the country and its future as a free and democratic nation-state. As you recall, we voiced concerns on three previous occasions, most recently in a letter to you, Mr President, dated Jan. 17, 2009, in which we expressed our concern regarding the fairness of the judicial system in Taiwan.

These concerns have not been alleviated by either the response from Government Information Office Minister Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) or the cessation of troubling, flawed and partial judicial proceedings, in particular involving the case of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

We reiterate that any alleged corruption must be investigated, but emphasize that the judicial process needs to be scrupulously fair and impartial. In the case of the former president, it is evident that the prosecution is heavily tainted by political bias, and that the former president is being treated badly out of spite for the political views and the positions he took during his presidency. Such retribution does not bode well for a young and fragile democracy, as Taiwan is.

The second issue that we feel we need to highlight is press freedom. In spite of earlier expressions of concern by international organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists and Freedom House, there continue to be reports of impingement on press freedom by your administration. A case in point is the recent disturbing report that Central News Agency staff were instructed to write only “positive” stories about the policies of your administration, and that reports containing criticism of your administration or China were excised.

As supporters of a free and democratic Taiwan it is disheartening to see that in the annual report on press freedom by the New York-based Freedom House, Taiwan dropped from 32nd to 43rd place. In addition, it is disconcerting to see reports that groups with close ties to China are buying their way into Taiwan’s media circles, gaining a controlling voice in major publications such as the China Times. We need to remind ourselves that China is still an authoritarian state with a long history of control of the news media. Its financial influence in Taiwan’s free press will in the long run be detrimental to hard-won freedoms.

This leads us to a third general issue: the means by which rapprochement with China is being pursued. While most people in Taiwan and overseas agree that a reduction of tension in the Taiwan Strait is beneficial, it is crucial to do this in a manner befitting a democratic nation: with openness and full public debate. Only if there is sufficient transparency and true dialogue — both in the Legislative Yuan and in society as a whole — will the result be supported by a significant majority of the people.

Transparency and true dialogue have been lacking in the process. Decisions and agreements are arrived at in secrecy and then simply announced to the public. The Legislative Yuan seems to have been sidelined, having little input in the form or content of the agreements, such as the proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA). The administration simply sends to the legislature the texts agreed to in the negotiations with the People’s Republic of China, allowing virtually no possibility of discussion of the pros and cons of such agreements. This undermines the system of checks and balances, which is so essential to a mature democracy. We may mention that recent opinion polls show overwhelming support for a referendum on an ECFA and for better legislative oversight of China policy.

Mr President, as international scholars and writers who have followed Taiwan’s impressive transition to democracy during the past two decades, we know the sensitivity in Taiwan of the issue of relations with China. Rapprochement needs to be carried out in a way that ensures that the achievements of the democratic movement are safeguarded, that the political divide within Taiwan is reduced and that Taiwan’s sovereignty, human rights and democracy are protected and strengthened.

However, during the past year we have seen that the policies of your administration are being implemented in a way that is causing deep anxiety, particularly among many who fought for Taiwan’s democracy two decades ago. This was evident in the large-scale rallies held in Taipei and Kaohsiung on Sunday.

We have also seen a further polarization in society due to the lack of transparency and democratic checks and balances. Many observers believe that the rapprochement with China has occurred at the expense of Taiwan’s sovereignty, democracy and freedoms. To some, the judicial practices and police behavior toward those who criticize your policies are even reminiscent of the dark days of martial law.

In this respect, symbols are important. It does not help that your administration has renamed National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall in Taipei back to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. It doesn’t bolster your case that the funding for the Chingmei Human Rights Memorial in Sindian (新店) has been cut drastically and that the location is being turned into a “cultural” park. It doesn’t help that changes are being made to the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) that infringe on freedoms of protesters instead of enhancing freedom of speech.

Mr President, we appeal to you to take measures that alleviate these concerns. A first step would be to initiate and implement reforms in the judicial system that safeguard the human rights of the accused and ensure a fair trial. A second step would be to guarantee complete press freedom, and instill in those engaged in the media the determination to live up to the highest standards.

Thirdly, rapprochement with China needs to be brought about in such a way that the people of Taiwan have a full say in determining their future as a free and democratic nation. Closed-door deals that bring Taiwan increasingly into China’s sphere of influence are detrimental to Taiwan’s future and undermine the democratic fabric of society.

Due to its complex history, Taiwan has not had the opportunity to be accepted as a full and equal member of the international family of nations. We believe the people of Taiwan have worked hard for their democracy, and that the international community should accept Taiwan in its midst. Your actions and policies can help the island and its people move in the right direction. We urge you to do so.

Respectfully yours,

NAT BELLOCCHI

Former chairman, American Institute in Taiwan

COEN BLAAUW

Formosan Association for Public Affairs, Washington

STéPHANE CORCUFF

Associate Professor of Political Science, China and Taiwan Studies, University of Lyon

GORDON G. CHANG

Author, The Coming Collapse of China June Teufel Dreyer

Professor of Political Science, University of Miami

MICHAEL DANIELSEN

Chairman, Taiwan Corner, Copenhagen, Denmark

TERRI GILES

Executive Director, Formosa Foundation, Los Angeles

BRUCE JACOBS

Professor of Asian Languages and Studies, Monash University

RICHARD C. KAGAN

Professor Emeritus of History, Hamline University

JEROME F. KEATING

Author and associate professor (ret.),

National Taipei University

DAVID KILGOUR

Former Canadian member of parliament and secretary of state for the Asia-Pacific

LIU SHIH-CHUNG

Visiting Fellow, The Brookings Institution, Washington

MICHAEL RAND HOARE

Emeritus Reader at the University of London, Great Britain

VICTOR H. MAIR

Professor of Chinese Language and Literature,

University of Pennsylvania

DONALD RODGERS

Associate Professor of Political Science, Austin College

TERENCE RUSSELL

Associate Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Manitoba

CHRISTIAN SCHAFFERER

Associate Professor, Department of International Trade, Overseas Chinese Institute of Technology; and Editor, Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia

MICHAEL STAINTON

York Center for Asia Research, Toronto, Canada

PETER CHOW

Professor of Economics, City College of New York

PETER TAGUE

Professor of Law,Georgetown University

JOHN J. TKACIK JR.

Former senior research

fellow, The Heritage

Foundation, Washington

Arthur Waldron

Lauder Professor of International Relations, University of Pennsylvania

VINCENT WEI-CHENG WANG

Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond

GERRIT VAN DER WEES

Editor, Taiwan Communiqué

MICHAEL YAHUDA

Professor Emeritus, London School of Economics, and

Visiting Scholar, George

Washington University

STEPHEN YATES

President, DC Asia Advisory, and former deputy assistant to the US vice president for national security affairs

Taiwan moving backward in time
　

By James Wang 王景弘
Thursday, May 21, 2009, Page 8

“Men battle to move up, water flows down” is a Chinese maxim that is used to encourage people to improve themselves. But while water flows downwards because of gravity, men have to overcome the forces that hold them back, resist temptation and possess determination to get ahead.

A society can only improve if its members strive for continuous improvement and excellence. The advancement of moral standards, quality of life, personal ability, academic research and scientific breakthroughs — all of these depend on improvement and excellence. If people do not strive for these goals, a society will start to decay.

Taiwan is a small but densely populated nation where people have a tendency to get carried away with the latest ideas put forward by the government. The country therefore needs a government that can oversee and guide the people to ensure that society continues moving forward, instead of backsliding, because of shortsighted ideas. People that keep falling back will only expedite the decay of a society which, unfortunately, is what is happening in Taiwan now.

There used to be a popular saying that pokes fun at the public ideal of education, which loosely translates as: “Study at National Taiwan University and then head off to the US (來來來, 來台大, 去去去, 去美國).”

While it is a somewhat warped view of things, the saying encouraged Taiwanese youth to gain a solid education, make full use of their abilities and seek a better life. However, somewhere along the way, Taiwanese have fallen into the mindset of making money here in Taiwan and spending it in China.

There is a huge difference in the way Taiwanese are regressing while Chinese are moving up in the world. The number of Chinese students studying in the US has increased dramatically, while the number of Taiwanese students has plummeted. More Chinese students are going to the West, while Taiwanese students are heading to China.

Chinese officials and tourists are traveling to developed Western nations, while officials and tourists from Western countries and Taiwan are visiting the backward state of China.

During the colonial period, Taiwan emulated Japan and developed at a much slower pace than Japan, which was learning things directly from Western nations. It was not until the mid-1960s that Taiwan had the chance to learn directly from the West and take on a more vibrant form of development.

When Taiwan’s economy was starting to take off, it had funds and technology from the West and Japan which it was able to utilize to turn the country around. However, Taiwan has failed to expand on these collaborations to continue improving. Taiwanese businesspeople became satisfied with what they had and only developed an interest in using China’s cheap labor and taking advantage of its shoddy legal system and corrupt government to make money.

China spent a long time emulating the Soviet Union, gained nothing positive from doing so and did not wake up until after the Cold War. When China woke up, it started to learn from the West and moved to attract large amounts of investment funds and technology from these countries to modernize itself.

In stark contrast, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) ideology has bought about a new trend in Taiwan of learning from a backward China. The government is not trying to improve itself, the public is unaware of what is happening and the nation is blindly moving backwards. For Taiwan, this is a tragic state of affairs.

James Wang is a media commentator.