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The ROC is in its
death throes, but not Taiwan
By Lee Min-yung 李敏勇
Taiwan and China have very different views of Taiwan as a “nation.” As history
has unfolded, there has been a move from focusing on “China” toward focusing on
“Taiwan.” After Taiwan’s democratization, this change was necessary, both as a
result of a stronger sense of self for the nation and as a means of helping
Taiwanese deal with the way in which the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is
holding Taiwan hostage with the remnants of an empty and foreign Republic of
China (ROC).
Taiwanese gave the KMT the chance to return to power in 2008, because they
believe in the democratic principles underlying the change of government and
also because, in campaign mode, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) used slogans such
as “I love Taiwan” and promised to focus on the nation’s economic development.
Fighting for votes, he said that if he failed to do a good job, he would be
willing to face the test that democratic elections represent.
However, once Ma regained power for the KMT, he was clearly no longer interested
in any such tests. Behind his smile, Ma has colluded with China in an evil
attempt to sell Taiwan down the river. Ma has done a complete U-turn from his
time as a member of the Anti-Communist and Patriotic League to his blind
following of Beijing’s every order. Now, his government is using the
make-believe “1992 consensus” to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes. Together
with his “three-noes” policy of “no unification, no independence and no use of
force,” — a negative, pretentious type of slogan — it is hard to imagine what
sort of future Taiwan has as a nation.
January’s presidential election will be a test for the Ma regime and a challenge
for the nation. Since the ROC represents the remnant of a country for the KMT,
its power and the government can also be no more than mere remnants of the past.
It is indeed a miracle that the ROC has managed to survive in Taiwan until
today. However, the election will be an important battle in determining whether
Taiwan can move toward becoming a new nation.
Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has proposed a
“Taiwan consensus” as part of her presidential campaign platform, saying that if
she is elected president, she will use open and transparent democratic
procedures to forge a domestic consensus and build a consensus including all of
Taiwan’s political parties. This consensus would then be used to interact,
negotiate and communicate with Beijing in response to China’s rise and the
challenges facing Taiwan.
A political stance such as this, based on democratic mechanisms, offers a stark
contrast to the anti-democratic “China consensus” of Ma and the KMT.
Ma’s make-believe “1992 consensus” means a “China consensus” that will force
Taiwan into unrealistic cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP.)
Likewise, the fabricated view that there is “one China, with each side having
its own interpretation” highlights how Ma and the KMT are a “foreign power”
operating in Taiwan. Given that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) does not
recognize the ROC as a nation, a “China consensus” is tantamount to a sunset
clause for Taiwan as we know it that will turn Taiwan into ghost money to be
burned at the burial of the ROC.
Should we work together to set up a new nation using democratic principles under
a “Taiwan consensus?” Or should we accept the “China consensus” scheme invented
by the KMT and the CCP and abandon the ROC for the PRC?
I think that once the election is here, all Taiwanese nationwide will decide to
save themselves by ensuring that the significance and values of democratization
are safeguarded.
Lee Min-yung is a poet and political commentator.
TRANSLATED BY DREW CAMERON
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