Deaflympics close with culinary climax
　

TASTING TAIWAN: While watching the performances, athletes enjoyed local treats including steamed buns, tempura fish cakes, beef noodle soup and bubble tea
　

By Shelley Shan
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Sep 16, 2009, Page 1
　

Thousands of spectators and athletes gathered at Taipei Municipal Stadium last night to celebrate as the 2009 Summer Deaflympics came to a close.

The Russian Federation bagged the most golds and the most medals at the Games — 29 gold, 41 silver and 28 bronze for a total of 98 medals.

Second and third in terms of total medals were Ukraine and South Korea, with 67 and 34 medals respectively. Taiwan ranked fifth with 33 medals — 11 gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze.

The closing festivities included drummers from U Theatre (優人神鼓), the Minghuayuan (明華園) Taiwanese Opera Troupe and Hong Kong singer Aaron Kwok (郭富城).

While watching the performances, athletes enjoyed a banquet of 11 traditional Taiwanese dishes and desserts. Organizers designed the closing ceremony to be unique, and it was the first time a banquet had been held for the celebration.

The dishes included steamed buns, tempura fish cakes, beef noodle soup, minced pork with rice, mango shaved ice, bubble tea and other treats. Each athlete also received pineapple cakes, nougat, coffee-flavored plums and oolong tea to take home.
　

Spectators in the stands each received a box of snacks and a glowing tambourine during the festivities.

Athletes celebrated the conclusion of the Games by dancing along with the cheerleaders, forming long lines and weaving in and out among the tables.

The Widex Fair Play Award went to Gabor Mathe of Hungary, who won the bronze in the men’s singles tennis.

Mathe took home US$5,000 in prize money. The winner of the award must be under 25 years old or younger and demonstrate sportsmanship, respect and fairness in the Olympic spirit.

The sports director and president of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) reviews nominations submitted by ICSD technical directors in each sport. The final nominee is selected and presented to the Widex representative for approval.

ICSD president Donalda Ammons also presented Athens as the host city of 2013 Summer Deaflympics.

The Chinese delegation, which did not attend the opening ceremony on Sept. 5, did show up for the closing ceremony. Deputy director of the Chinese Deaflympics team Zhao Su-jing (趙素京) said at a press conference before the closing ceremony that the team still had about 52 competitors and staff in Taipei who would attend.

The Chinese team did not carry the Chinese flag upon entering the stadium, instead holding up a banner reading: “Go, Taiwanese compatriots in the disaster zone.”

China attended neither the opening nor closing ceremonies of the World Games in Kaohsiung in July.

Zhao said China sent 78 athletes to the Games this year.

As they were from different provinces and had to gather in Beijing before coming to Taiwan, the team had not been able to make it to the opening ceremony, she said.
　

Taiwan democracy in peril: US senator
　

SACRIFICES: While praising Taiwan for building a prosperous democracy, Sherrod Brown voiced concern that closer ties with China could put this progress at risk
　

By William Lowther
STAFF REPORTER IN WASHINGTON
Wednesday, Sep 16, 2009, Page 3

A US senator said on Monday that some of the gains in democracy that Taiwan has made over the past 20 years “are now in peril.”

Speaking at a special Washington screening of the political thriller Formosa Betrayed, which takes place during the White Terror era, Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown said it was a miracle that Taiwan had been able to build a prosperous democracy with a strong middle class.

It happened, he said, because many people made enormous sacrifices.

“Some went to prison, while others gave up their lives or had their lives change abruptly for the worse because they were advocates for democracy,” Brown said.

“I think of the progress made in the last 20 years, but I also notice that today some of the gains are now in peril,” he said.

He said the US Congress must “keep [an] eye on what is happening in Taiwan.”

“Taiwan seems to be moving closer to the People’s Republic of China and that’s of concern to a lot of us,” he said.

The concern, he said, was for human rights and democracy.

“I know that I join many of you in dreaming of the day when US policy is not moving in the direction that some seem to want it to move but rather it is moving towards one China and one Taiwan,” Brown said.

He concluded: “The miracle of Taiwan is something that the people have earned and it is up to us to help them keep it.”

With a budget of about US$10 million, the movie tells the fictionalized story of the 1980s murder of a Taiwan democracy advocate gunned down in the US on the orders of officials in Taipei.

The screening at Washington’s Newseum — a new museum dedicated to the media — was for members of Congress and congressional staff.

It will now be shown at film festivals around the world.

Written and produced by Taiwanese-American Will Tiao (刁毓能), the film has received wide support and sponsorship from the Formosa Foundation, a nonprofit based in Los Angeles.

“Taiwan’s fight is not a defunct issue. The congressional screening is designed to raise awareness of the historic and ongoing struggle of the Taiwanese people to build a democratic society. The movie provides a critical analysis of the relationship between the US and Taiwan, as well as current US foreign policy,” Tiao said.

Several members of Congress who attended the screening praised the film and its depiction of life in Taiwan under martial law.

“I want to express my strong support for Taiwan,” Texas Republican Representative Michael McCaul said.

“We like our independence in Texas and I think that’s what we have in common. America stands for freedom and democracy and the fight against oppression and dictatorships. And so we stand with you as we watch this movie,” he said.

Congressman David Wu (吳振偉), a Democrat from Oregon who was born in Taiwan, said: “I think it is important to remember all the folks who made sacrifices large and small for the liberties that are enjoyed in Taiwan today.”

“It’s been said that the handmaiden of tyranny is amnesia; the only way that tyranny survives is if we forget what it does,” he said.

In prepared remarks, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican, said the film underscored the sacrifices made by those who sought democracy for Taiwan and the commitment of the US to democratic evolution on the island.

“There can be no backsliding in Taiwan’s commitment to democracy,” she said.

“A free and democratic Taiwan stands as the best response to those cynics in Beijing who state that democratic values are incompatible with Chinese culture. A free Taiwan is the ultimate guarantor of an eventually free China,” she said.

“As this film documents, the struggle for democracy in Taiwan was not an easy one,” she said.

Chen Shui-bian appeals for release
　

DEFENSE: The former president asked that he be freed so he could prepare his defense and enjoy the least that a defendant is entitled to, which is the right to a fair trial
　

By Ko Shu-ling
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Sep 16, 2009, Page 3

Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday appealed to the court to release him from custody so that he could defend himself at the appeals court.

Chen has been in custody since December. He and his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), were sentenced to life in prison for graft on Friday, making them the first former first family in the nation's history to be indicted and convicted.

Chen has asked his lawyers to file an appeal, but said he would not attend the hearings if his appeals were not handled in a fair and transparent manner.

Chen said in a 10-point statement released by his office yesterday that he could challenge President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) re-election bid in 2012, like Ma did when he announced his presidential bid right after he was indicted for graft

“But I will not do that,” Chen said in the statement.

“When I saw the ruling against me, I know I stand a chance of proving my innocence,” Chen said.

“I don't believe that all High Court judges are like the presiding judge in my case, Tsai Shou-hsun (蔡守訓),” he said.

Chen asked the court to release him, claiming that Special Investigation Panel (SIP) prosecutors Lin Jhe-huei and Yueh Fang-ju (越方如) had said his incarceration could end after all the witnesses or defendants were questioned.

He would not escape, Chen said, because as a former president, he would have a heavy security detail. His public attorney also had his new passport and he was willing to give it to the court or Ministry of Foreign Affairs for safekeeping.

“Please let me have my freedom back, so I can enjoy the least that a defendant is entitled to: a chance for a fair trial,” he said.

Calling the ruling illegal and unconstitutional, the statement said the court processed the cases with political bias.

“Just like what [New York-based political commentator] Cao Changqing (曹長青) said in his recent column, in which he asked what Chen Shui-bian's ‘crimes’ are: ‘His crime is promoting Taiwan independence. His crime is declaring ‘one country on either side of the Taiwan Strait.’ His crime is insisting on holding a referendum on joining the UN under the name ‘Taiwan,’” the statement read.

Instead of reaching a verdict based on evidence, the statement said it was a “100 percent ethical judgment” and Tsai rejected all accounts concerning the presidential funds made by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), former Presidential Office chief account Fon Shui-lin (馮瑞麟) and former chief of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Hsu Chang-yao (許璋瑤).

The statement said that while the former president knew nothing about the cash donation by former Taipei Financial Center Corp chairwoman Diana Chen (陳敏薰), the court ruled it was an act of bribery and profiteering.

The statement also criticized Tsai for applying double standards to the former president's discretionary fund and Ma's “special allowance fund” during his stint as Taipei mayor.

Chen’s office yesterday also requested that the Taiwan High Court publicize the travel records of Judge Chen Hsiao-pei (陳筱珮) to prove that Taiwan High Court President Huang Shui-tong (黃水通) did not interfere in the former president's cases.

Citing an anonymous source at the High Court, Chen's office on Monday issued a statement alleging that after Judge Chou Chan-chun (周占春) released Chen from detention last year, Huang called up and asked Judge Chen Hsiao-pei, who was abroad at the time, whether Chou should be removed from the former president’s cases.

Chen Hsiao-pei later served as the one of the panel of judges who reviewed an SIP appeal against Chou’s decision to release Chen Shui-bian from detention. The panel ruled to keep Chen Shui-bian in detention.

Huang dismissed the allegations, while Taiwan High Court spokesperson Wen Yao-yuan (溫耀源) said Chen Hsiao-pei had been selected from a random drawing, in accordance with the law.

As for which high court judge would preside over Chen Shui-bian's appeal, Wen said the High Court would conduct a random draw in accordance with the law and that the entire process would be transparent.

KMT lawmakers urge aggressive action on ECFA
　

By Flora Wang
STAFF REPORTER, WITH CNA
Wednesday, Sep 16, 2009, Page 3

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday urged the government to play a more aggressive role in pursuing an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China.

KMT caucus secretary-general Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) told a press conference that it was necessary for Taiwan to sign an ECFA with China to boost Taiwan's economy.

“The opportunity is fleeting,” Lu said. “We hope the government will enhance communication [with legislators across party lines].”

Lu made the remarks after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) told legislators over a dinner on Monday that the signing of the ECFA had been stalled for more than a month because of the flooding caused by Typhoon Morakot.

Ma was quoted by unidentified KMT legislators as saying that he had instructed the Executive Yuan to put a minister without portfolio in charge of pushing the proposal, which he hoped would be signed by the end of this year or early next year.

Lu said Ma and Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) had spent a lot of time discussing the government’s plan to sign an ECFA with KMT legislators on the Foreign and National Defense Committee and the Economics Committee on Monday night.

“However, government officials have been unable to clearly explain the details of an ECFA, not to mention help the public understand it,” Lu said. “This is an economic issue, but it has been interpreted from a political perspective, which has caused much trouble.”

Caucus chief deputy secretary-general Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池) said while the caucus understood that any government policy has its pros and cons, “we should make sure [that an ECFA] would bring more advantages than disadvantages.”

Despite Ma's remarks, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Vice Chairman Kao Koong-lian (高孔廉) said signing an ECFA would not on the agenda of the next round of cross-strait talks to be held later this year.

Kao told the Central News Agency on Monday that both sides had been weighed down by domestic developments that had affected preparations for the fourth meeting between SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and his counterpart, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).

These included the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years earlier last month, the Dalai Lama’s visit to Taiwan this month and the Cabinet reshuffle last Thursday, he said.

Meanwhile, China is preparing for the fourth plenary session of the 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, which began yesterday and ends on Friday, and for celebrations to mark its 60th anniversary next month.

All of this has affected preparations for the Chiang-Chen meeting, Koo said.

While Ma said that signing an ECFA with China would prevent Taiwan from being marginalized amid regional economic development, the Democratic Progressive Party has repeatedly voiced opposition to the proposal, citing fears that it would compromise Taiwan's sovereignty and job market.

Vice Premier Eric Chu (朱立倫) said Wu would attempt to allay misgivings about the ECFA when he addresses the new session of the legislature on Friday.

Weak voices make abuse possible
　

By J. Michael Cole 寇謐將
Wednesday, Sep 16, 2009, Page 8

Although some foreign media on Saturday referred to the life sentences handed to former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), as “unexpectedly stiff,” to quote the Los Angeles Times, anyone who has paid close attention to politics in Taiwan since the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regained power last year would see this as an inevitable outcome.

From the very beginning, the handling of Chen’s corruption trial was marred by political meddling in the form of gerrymandering within the judiciary, leaks to the media, guilt by association and presumption of guilt. The fact that the former president was kept in jail for almost nine months for no legal reason also serves to highlight the fact that expectations of a fair trial were naive.

While a case could be made that the sentences were to teach a lesson or, as the Apple Daily editorialized, to “serve as a warning for all parties and politicians,” it is difficult to imagine that a similar ruling would have been made, or the handling of the trial so objectionable, had the political environment been different.

First of all, Chen, whom Beijing referred to as the “scum of the nation,” spearheaded the independence movement in Taiwan by carrying the torch lit by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), in the process taking the rhetoric to the next level. Regardless of whether his policies succeeded in taking Taiwan closer to official statehood, the fact remains that for Beijing, Chen served as a symbol of resentment and a convenient umbrella for the entire ­independence movement.

By muzzling him during his trial and giving him a life sentence, the Taiwanese judiciary was responding, if perhaps unwittingly, to the political needs of the KMT administration, which has sought to develop closer ties with Beijing. As a token of “goodwill,” Beijing could not have asked for a sweeter gift.

One reason why the trial could become so overtly politicized, or the ruling so harsh, is the ineffectiveness and fecklessness of the opposition movement, which has been divided against itself (partly as a result of the case against Chen) and has therefore been unable to challenge the Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration with one voice. So weakened has the opposition become, both in the legislature and in public opinion, that Ma has been able to ignore public apprehensions about his other pet project — cross-strait policies — going as far as to snub an otherwise legal request for a referendum on the proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China. The best that Ma and his team of cross-strait negotiators has been able to provide in terms of answers has bordered on an article of faith, which in effect conceals resentment toward public opinion.

A more unified opposition would have forced the Ma administration not only to take more seriously the apprehensions of the public (including many in the pan-blue camp) vis-a-vis an ECFA, but equally could have ensured a fairer trial for Chen. If, as has been the case, the Ma administration can so manifestly disregard public fears over policies that will have a substantial impact on the future of this nation, it follows that making a “gift” of a harsh sentence against an individual who stood up to Beijing would be relatively easy.

There is no doubt that in its calculations, the judiciary and its masters took the potential for backlash against a severe ruling against Chen and his wife into consideration. Had they feared that a severe ruling, or even signs of unfairness, would be detrimental to their ability to remain in power, or that it would serve as the spark that allows this fissiparous opposition to coalesce into a coherent movement, political intervention would have verged in the opposite direction; in other words, the Ma administration would have pressured the judiciary to ensure a lighter verdict, likely in the name of social stability.

Fears that Taiwan is turning into an authoritarian state are premature, but there is no denying that when the opposition is discredited, disorganized and easily discounted by those in power, the judiciary will yield to the political preferences of those at the top, especially in charged political environments like Taiwan. As such, the key to Taiwan’s future lies as much in the hands of a healthy opposition as in those of the officials who hold the reins of power.

The need is all the more pressing in Taiwan, for behind the KMT officials and members of the Ma administration, who are slowly becoming intoxicated by the sweet nectar of quasi-absolute power, lies a far more dangerous entity that is far less restrained in its actions. If Taiwan is to survive as a democracy, it will need to deal with its problems at home before it’s too late. This starts with an opposition that can be taken seriously and whose voice cannot be ignored, one that is credible enough to serve as a brake on those who would ride roughshod over what remains the best — though by no means perfect — political system we have to deal with conflicting interests.

We need voices that can promise consequences if the government continues to show signs that it wants to overreach.

J. Michael Cole is a writer based in Taipei.

Chen ruling sounds like old, cranky feudal hands
　

By James Wang 王景弘
Wednesday, Sep 16, 2009, Page 8

In the wording of their verdict in the corruption trial of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), the three court judges wrote in the style of cranky old Chinese teachers. The tone of the verdict makes them look like tyrannical feudal officials who exercised undivided administrative, legislative and judicial powers in ancient times, rather than judges in a democratic era.

By quoting ancient sayings in the verdict, the judges unintentionally gave themselves and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) a slap in the face.

The verdict condemns Chen with the Chinese proverb: “As the grass bends before the wind, so do inferiors imitate their superiors” (風行草偃，上行下效). In reality, the saying better describes Ma’s new party-state system and authoritarianism. As for another quoted saying, “To be a leader is to be a master and a teacher” (作之君，作之師), this is also a reflection of Ma’s arrogant attitude to ordinary people in Taiwan.

The late writer Bo Yang (柏楊), who was persecuted by the previous Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime, once satirized the police for acting like the public’s master, parent and teacher. Ma’s style is arrogant and anti-­democratic. He wants to be both a master and teacher, but he is by no means a caring parent. His patronizing comment to Aborigines that “I see you as people” and his cold and uncaring treatment of typhoon victims are ample evidence of his true character.

Ma’s administration has the characteristics of feudalistic rule, rather than the rule of law. Believing himself to be a kind leader, he decides for himself what benevolent policies are right for the people and what constitutes justice. His self-righteous attitude and arbitrary actions are reflected in the behavior of KMT bureaucrats, who struggle against their opponents in the style of “hating evils as deadly foes” (嫉惡如仇) and “expelling and exterminating every enemy” (趕盡殺絕).

During the old days of authoritarian rule by the KMT, the party used the judiciary as a tool to attack its critics and opposition forces. Former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen carried out reforms without availing themselves of this tool. Ma often proclaims the independence of the judiciary, but in his case it means “allowing” judicial officials, who have long been manipulated by the KMT, to refer to his views and implement his will.

As a tool in the hand of political forces, the judiciary makes its decisions not according to evidence or the letter of the law, but according to political demands. In order to put Chen behind bars, the KMT government went so far as to make the unlawful move of replacing the judges in charge of the case. The party’s proxy, Presiding Judge Tsai Shou-hsun (蔡守訓), who anachronistically relied on centuries-old precedents to absolve Ma of accusations of corruption, applied entirely different standards in Chen’s case, listening only to the “proof” presented by the prosecution and quoting irrelevant ancient morals and philosophy in imposing a heavy sentence on the former president.

Neo-authoritarianism is based on Confucian ethics, so it is not surprising that Tsai should quote Confucius (孔子) in the verdict. Ma is determined to repress his opponents, and Tsai complied by imposing a severe sentence on Chen and quoting Confucian philosophy as grounds for the court’s decision. Ma takes pride in being the people’s master and teacher. He does not need to interfere in the judiciary, because bureaucrats and political hacks alike can figure out what he wants and act accordingly. Ma must be very pleased with their performance.

By scolding Chen with criticisms that are more applicable to Ma, Tsai has revealed for all to see the feudal and autocratic face of Ma’s authoritarian rule.

James Wang is a media commentator.

Japan’s a friend, let’s not alienate it

Wednesday, Sep 16, 2009, Page 8

When news broke on Monday that the coast guard had dispatched five vessels to the East China Sea in response to a dispute over fishing waters, Tokyo may have wondered what to expect from President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) government this time around. After enduring repeated snubs from the Ma administration over the past year and a half, Japanese officials can be forgiven if they heaved a sigh and thought: “Here we go again.”

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Shuai Hua-min (帥化民) was quick to react, ready to revive the dispute over territory in the area that flared last summer, when a Taiwanese fishing boat and Japanese coast guard vessel collided near the Diaoyutai (釣魚台) islets.

Shuai yesterday called on the government to complain to Tokyo.

“The Japanese coast guard had no right to board the fishing boat as Taiwanese law enforcement officials were present,” Agence France-Presse quoted him as saying.

Shuai’s hasty conclusion was typical of his party, which seems inclined to assume that Tokyo is always in the wrong. This contrasts sharply with the party’s treatment of Beijing, where China, it seems, can do no wrong — no matter how great the insult to Taiwan and its people.

Thankfully, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ response yesterday was subdued, calling for calm while the situation is resolved and details ascertained.

The ministry should exercise restraint this time if it hopes to repair any ill feelings between Tokyo and Taipei following last year’s Diaoyutai incident. In that incident, MOFA accused Japan of “inhumane behavior” after a Japanese probe into the collision said the Taiwanese boat had been at fault.

The Ma government overreacted, recalling the nation’s envoy, Koh Seh-kai (許世楷), from Japan and announcing that the ministry would dissolve its Committee of Japanese Affairs. At home, Koh suffered verbal abuse from KMT legislators, who accused him of being a “traitor” and a “Japanese spy.”

Tokyo, by contrast, apologized to the boat’s captain, coming across as sophisticated and dedicated to maintaining the two countries’ friendship. (Months later, it also compensated him.) Despite the embarrassing behavior of the Ma administration and other KMT members, Japan seemed determined not to let the situation spiral into a more serious spat.

Ill will did not stop there, however. The Ma government last spring summoned Japan’s envoy to Taipei after he dared to state the obvious by saying that Taiwan’s status was “unresolved.” Again, Tokyo apologized and handled the situation with good form. Envoy Masaki Saito was nevertheless repeatedly snubbed by officials in Ma’s government.

Considering the KMT’s history, rash displays of counterproductive patriotism directed against Japan risk being interpreted as racist. They are reminiscent of treatment Tokyo can expect from Beijing, which some academics believe encourages anti-Japanese sentiment among its populace to stoke nationalism.

The KMT’s anti-Japanese streak would be disturbing enough without the fact that Tokyo is a key friend of Taiwan with a stake in the balance of power in the region. Anti-Japanese sentiment could undermine Taiwan’s best interests.

The Ma government now has an opportunity to show its “goodwill” toward a friend with a new government. The administration’s response this time should be measured and respectful.