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EDITORIAL: A glimpse
of the future
This weekend¡¦s ¡§election¡¨ in Hong Kong provided a glimpse of what Beijing and
its cronies would like to implement in Taiwan if they could.
The territory¡¦s people had absolutely no say in the choice of their next leader,
Beijing loyalist Leung Chun-ying (±ç®¶^). Instead, Leung was chosen in a packed
convention center by 1,200 politicians and tycoons with leanings toward China.
There was never any doubt that Beijing would have its way, because China¡¦s
leaders have done whatever they can to stifle the democratic aspirations of
people in Hong Kong since 1997.
Although never democratic, even under British rule, Hong Kong citizens have been
promised full suffrage by 2017. However, that now appears to be receding into
the distant future, because it is only five years away and China has done
nothing to indicate it has any intention of introducing direct elections for the
territory¡¦s leader.
This is the ¡§one country, two systems¡¨ formula that Beijing wants to foist on
Taiwan. It does not matter which formulation one prefers ¡X ¡§one country, two
areas,¡¨ or ¡§one country, two interpretations¡¨ ¡X the end result would be the
same. Beijing would call the shots and loyal Taiwanese tycoons would do what
they were told.
Although there are obvious differences between Taiwan and Hong Kong ¡X Taipei has
a military and a vibrant democracy ¡X politicians loyal to China have come up
with a plan to erode, degrade and disband the Taiwanese military, while buying
up most of its media resources with Beijing-backed money.
Doing away with the military would make it impossible for Taiwan to fight China,
while investing heavily in the media makes it possible for Beijing--oriented
news organizations to erode the foundations of democracy in Taiwan from within.
China is also deliberately creating a new generation of tycoons in Taiwan by
offering economic incentives of the type seen in the Economic Cooperation
Framework Agreement (ECFA) signed by Taiwan and China in June 2010. The ECFA
¡§early harvest¡¨ list gives preferential trade treatment to hundreds of products,
turning China into the primary export market for many of Taiwan¡¦s finished
products. This serves Beijing¡¦s long-term goals in two ways ¡X it creates a class
of Taiwanese tycoons loyal to China, while making Taiwan¡¦s economy increasingly
dependent on the ¡§motherland.¡¨
If things keep going in this direction, President Ma Ying-jeou (°¨^¤E) will be the
last president directly elected by Taiwanese: The next president woud likely be
chosen at a Chinese Communist Party-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) conclave
like the one that recently concluded in China, at which former KMT chairman Wu
Poh-hsiung (§d§B¶¯) kowtowed to Chinese President Hu Jintao (JÀAÀÜ), accepting Taiwan
as just a region of China.
Although this approach might seem new, it is actually very old. Western
countries used it for centuries to keep their colonial possessions in check.
Originally used by the Portuguese, compradores were native managers of Western
colonial businesses who were made rich by keeping the colonial power happy and
the local population obedient.
Hong Kong¡¦s tycoons are the modern-day equivalent in Beijing¡¦s comprador system,
and judging by the number of Ferarris and Lamborghinis on the roads in Taipei
these days, and the skyrocketing price of luxury housing, Taiwan does not appear
to be very far behind.
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