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Taiwan must face its
ROC demons
By Yang Liu Hsiu-hua 楊劉秀華
After re-reading A 1998 article my late husband wrote (“Taiwan should make a
clean cut from Republic of China (ROC)”), I deeply appreciate his idea. This is
exactly what Taiwanese need right now and it is the right path to take. My late
husband was a lifetime career civil servant and understood the political systems
of Japan, the US and the ROC. It touched a nerve for him when he saw corruption
and bribery within any system, or people acting without moral principles simply
to please higher officials. As a result, innocent people can be locked up and
only obedient people (even if they are incompetent) can become chiefs,
directors, ministers — people with power.
Today, it is not because President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is incompetent that he is
doing things wrong, it is because systems in the ROC are limited; policies are
disorganized and unable to meet public needs. We should not criticize Ma and
demand that he do this or that, we should have broken away from this ROC system
which has ensured the nation has already disappeared off the world map.
I am republishing this paraphrased excerpt from my late husband’s article in the
hope it will awaken Taiwanese and prompt them into introspection and reflection.
All Taiwanese — Aboriginal, native and Mainlander — should work together to
establish our own state, it is only by doing this that we can live a dignified,
happy life.
Taiwan already possesses the basic requirements needed to be a nation and has
positioned itself to show the world its strength and contribution as a country.
However, Taiwan has still failed to get the recognition of the international
community. Why is that? Is it because the People’s Republic of China (PRC)
bullies and suppresses Taiwan from the other side of the Taiwan Strait? Due to
the realities of international politics, most countries worldwide do not dare
recognize this nation.
In 1945 Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) regime — acting on instructions from the US-led,
Japan-based Supreme Command for the Allied Powers, which helped shape post-World
War II East Asia — forcibly occupied Taiwan without consideration for
international law. This caused confusion and dispute between Taiwan and the ROC.
Without knowing that the ROC has already disappeared as a political entity, most
people — including many Taiwanese — are laboring under the illusion that the ROC
is Taiwan and that Taiwan is the ROC. Despite this, Taiwan’s current government
still hangs on tight to the ROC name.
Taiwan does not have a relationship with China and there are no historical
origins. Both have neither a love nor a hate relationship. Taiwan is Taiwan and
China is China. The relationship between them is nil. The relationship between
Taiwan and China was established because Taiwan’s government has been using the
term ROC.
The only way to make Taiwan independent and to ensure its security is to draw a
line between Taiwan and the concept of the ROC — Taiwan is Taiwan and China is
China and there is no problem of overlapping sovereignty. Later, the name
“Taiwan” needs to be used to join the UN and to develop a new constitution and
system that is in line with the Taiwan’s current realities.
It is only by doing so that Taiwan can obtain international recognition and
truly become a sovereign state. Of course, one needs first to get consensus
among Taiwanese and to convince the majority of countries worldwide. No small
task, but, in any case, we have no choice. The only way to succeed is to
cooperate with each other and to strengthen our efforts by persistently shouting
out our message.
Shigeru Oda, who served as a judge in the International Court of Justice, has
repeatedly stressed that Taiwan is not part of China. According to international
law, the PRC cannot attack Taiwan. Let’s stop hammering Ma and instead let’s
hope that our fellow Taiwanese will quickly wake up.
Also, we want to see our president, whose hand was raised by former president
Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), proclaim loudly that he is a “New Taiwanese.” Also, let’s
hope he can release former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) as soon as possible,
make a clean cut from the ROC concept and Taiwan, and build a great country with
fellow Taiwanese.
Let’s hope that we can all make a combined effort to create a country that
responds to public opinion with a good system of government that benefits the
people. It is only by doing this that we can enjoy a happy, joyful life.
Yang Liu Hsiu-hua is chairperson of the International Cultural Foundation.
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