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EDITORIAL: Ma’s
commitment to human rights
After winning the election on Jan. 14, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said he no
longer faced the pressure of seeking re-election and pledged to leave a legacy
in his second term. In view of the increasing calls for the Ma administration to
address former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) confinement and his
deteriorating health, the legacy Ma is seeking hopefully does not include the
death of a former president as a result of human rights negligence.
Chen is serving a 17-and-a-half-year prison term on corruption charges, sharing
a 1.3 ping (4.29m2) cell with another inmate at Taipei Prison. His mental and
physical state has become a growing concern to many, prompting National Taiwan
University physician Ko Wen-che (柯文哲) — along with a number of other medical
professionals and Chen supporters — to initiate a signature drive requesting
medical parole for Chen. Several US representatives have also urged the
administration of US President Barack Obama to take up Chen’s case, and, last
week, two US lawmakers submitted a medical report to the Tom Lantos Human Rights
Commission, calling for immediate medical parole for Chen.
The latest to express concern over Chen’s mental and health condition was
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財), who, on visiting
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) on Tuesday, made an appeal for Chen. Hsu
said the former president had attempted suicide at least three times during his
incarceration.
While Taipei Prison authorities were quick to dismiss Hsu’s remarks as an
exaggeration, saying they have been keeping a close watch on Chen’s health and
believe he is mentally and physically sound, many members of the public remain
unconvinced, recalling how Chen at one time was given the psychiatric medication
Ativan by the prison without his knowledge.
Ma takes pride in his administration’s efforts to protect human rights, saying
it was under his watch that Taiwan signed the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights in 2009. In April this year, while presenting a human rights
report compiled by the Presidential Office’s human rights advisory panel, Ma
again asserted his administration’s commitment to protecting human rights.
It is encouraging to see the head of state reiterating the importance of
safeguarding human rights because Taiwan, as a young democracy, needs continuous
efforts to consolidate its democracy, as well as to instill the importance of
protecting these rights in every area of Taiwanese society. But how can Ma
convince the public that his government is truly committed to protecting human
rights when right under his nose there is a growing concern from people, both at
home and abroad, over how a former president is being treated by his
administration?
Instead of just paying lip service to protecting human rights, many are looking
to Ma to exhibit the quality of a great leader that transcends the political
divide. To soothe public concern over Chen’s condition in jail, as well as
preserve Taiwan’s status as a rights-respecting country, Ma could, for example,
initiate a meeting with Ko and his medical team and listen to their assessment
of Chen’s mental and physical condition.
Such a move would not be deemed as interfering with the judiciary, as Ma has
often said when it comes to legal matters, but as one demonstrating the basic
respect and human concern that the president renders to a former head of state.
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