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Ma’s silly view of
the German experience
By James Wang 王景弘
Nobody is saying that the efficiency of the German government and the upright,
diligent nature of Germans are not ideals that one should aspire to. Indeed,
Taiwan could learn much from these. However, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has
quite a reputation for word games, so when he addresses the public and talks of
being inspired by the German experience, it gives anyone who cares about the
nation cause to shudder.
The German experience can mean many things, depending on which era you are
talking about. There was Nazi Germany, followed by the peaceful coexistence of
East and West Germany, and then the reunification of the two Germanys following
the collapse of the communist East.
The question is, which one of these experiences is Ma talking about when he
speaks of inspiration?
HITLER FAN
Prior to the outbreak of World War II, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) had shown
admiration for Adolf Hitler. Inspired by the experience of Nazi Germany, Chiang
established the Society of Practice of the Three Principles of the People — a
secret police force advancing the interests and power of the Chinese Nationalist
Party (KMT) — in an effort to make himself supreme ruler.
After the end of the war, Germany was occupied by the Allies and, as the Cold
War set in, split into two Germanys. West Germany was critical of other
countries recognizing East Germany. However, in 1972, the two sides signed the
Grundlagenvertrag, or the Basic Treaty, the full title of which was the “Treaty
concerning the basis of relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and
the German Democratic Republic.”
This was a mutual recognition of sovereignty. After the treaty was signed, the
two enjoyed a period of peaceful coexistence.
While it is true that Taiwan’s status under international law is different from
that of Germany, then-president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) stated in a 1999 interview
with Voice of Germany radio that Taiwan and China were two separate countries on
both sides of the Taiwan Strait, framing Taiwan’s status in the context of the
experience of East and West Germany.
Now Ma is saying he wants to learn from the “German experience,” and then goes
on blabbering on about “one country, two areas (一國兩區),” advocating eventual
unification with China and talking nonsense about “mutual non-recognition of
sovereignty” and “mutual non-denial of jurisdiction.”
Clearly, when Ma talks about the German experience, he is not referring to the
same one that Lee did. His focus is working toward the ultimate goal of
unification.
The Ma administration’s obeisance to China is like night and day compared with
the practical nature of the experience of the two Germanys.
The Basic Treaty of 1972 was based on five principles: sovereign equality;
non-representation of the other party; mutual respect for independence, autonomy
and the right of self-determination; the inviolability of existing territorial
borders; and the peaceful settlement of disputes, without resort to armed force.
PUBLIC CHOICE
In asking China to agree to the idea of “no war,” Ma has shown that he has taken
on board one of these principles. However, it is the only one of the five that
he has, and then the goal is peaceful unification with China.
Ma has overlooked the most important thing: that German reunification was the
choice of East Germans.
James Wang is a media commentator.
TRANSLATED BY PAUL COOPER
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