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EDITORIAL:
Authoritarian streak still infects KMT
Last month, film director Ko I-chen (柯一正) led a flash mob protest in which
demonstrators lay down on Taipei’s Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the
Presidential Office and embodied the Chinese character for “person” or “human
being” (人) for 30 seconds, shouting: “I am a human being! I oppose nuclear
power!” After the protest, the police called Ko in for questioning and the tax
authorities started investigating his company. The incident caused a public
uproar, but then Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said on Friday that the police
had overreacted, the interrogation was called off and the tax investigation came
to a close.
The reaction to Ko’s protest suddenly made it feel as if the Chinese Nationalist
Party (KMT) and the government it dominates remain fascist in spirit even though
almost 25 years have passed since martial law was lifted and the roots of
democracy have been firmly planted in the Taiwanese mind. If Ko had just been
called in for questioning, that could have been chalked up to the Assembly and
Parade Act (集會遊行法), but what is the connection between a flash mob protest and a
tax investigation?
The tax authorities jumping in as if they were the government’s lapdog shows
that someone in the KMT or a government agency wanted to teach Ko a lesson,
either as a warning or to force him into submission. The old KMT dictatorship
frequently made examples of its enemies to warn off others, and the sudden
return of such repression is a warning to us all that the Martial Law era may
not be so firmly in the past.
Not even nuclear power experts dare endorse the construction of the Fourth
Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), and all
its accompanying irregularities. The might of the whole government bureaucracy
has not been able to dispel public concern, but it continues to insist on
commencing operations once the power plant is completed. When seven anchor bolts
broke in the second reactor of the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in Wanli
District (萬里), New Taipei City, Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) and government
authorities were unable to provide a clear explanation of the problem and were
only interested in restoring the plant’s operations as soon as possible. When
reports and press conferences by anti-nuclear activists were ignored by the
government, activists resorted to more creative means to bring the authorities’
as well as the public’s attention to this issue. Nuclear protests are a public
issue and a manifestation of the right to freedom of expression. The flash mob
protest did not interfere with anyone’s rights or interests and had only a very
limited impact on traffic.
If the police and tax authorities had proceeded with their investigation of Ko,
this incident would have resulted in a strong backlash and left a stain on
Taiwan’s human rights record. Luckily, Hau, who seems to have realized what
would happen, resolved the situation. Still, Wu Nien-jen (吳念真), another movie
director, hit the nail on the head when he said: “Regardless of whether it’s a
big or small issue, paying attention to who settles it is very important.”
The conclusion of the incident makes it all but obvious that for the current
government, personal rule continues to override the rule of law.
The quick eruption and subsequent resolution of the incident throws a spotlight
on Taiwan’s hopes and disappointments. Any individual or organization has the
right to voice their opinion on public issues and although the flash mob left no
physical trace, it did make other forms of impressions. The protesters expressed
a positive message in their attempt to promote public participation from all
walks of life. However, the incident also suggested that the government and
Taipower are still both backward and reactionary, and that the spirit of
authoritarianism is alive and well within this KMT administration, which is
deeply disappointing. This is a lesson that the government must take to heart.
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