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Treatment of Chen is
a national disgrace
By Frank Murkowski
As a former governor of Alaska (2002 to 2006) and also having served for 22
years in the US Senate, I have a strong interest in US relations with East Asia.
Within that context, Taiwan is a place close to my heart, because I personally
got to know the two men who pushed Taiwan in the direction of democracy, former
presidents Lee Teng-hui (§ơµn½÷) and Chen Shui-bian (³¯¤ô«ó).
Since that time, Taiwan has gone through some more cycles of change of
government, which is an inherent part of a democratic system.
Indeed, in January, I headed the observer mission of the International Committee
for Fair Elections in Taiwan (ICFET), an international group of 19 academics
from eight countries.
Our report on our findings is scheduled to come out in the next few weeks and I
can already say that our conclusion is that the elections were mostly free, but
only partly fair. You can read more details when the report comes out.
However, my comments here are not about the elections, but about the overall
direction of the country.
It is undoubtedly clear that Taiwan lives in the shadow of an aggressive
neighbor, but it should not allow that to determine its future as a free and
democratic nation.
Taiwanese have worked long and hard for their democracy, and they need to
continue to work hard to preserve and nurture their freedom and liberty. This
work needs to be done internally, when they assess the functioning of the system
of checks and balances ¡X the legislature needs to be a stronghold of democracy
where people with vision look after the longer-term interests of their
constituents.
Freedom and liberty also need to be nurtured in the judicial system.
Many observers say that the judiciary is still strongly influenced by the
politics of the ruling party and that there is a strong need for judicial
reform. The legal community needs to champion the democratic process in Taiwan.
This brings me to a very specific issue of injustice ¡X the way Chen is being
treated. I am not discussing whether he was or was not guilty ¡X although a
number of international observers, such as Jerome Cohen, question whether he
received a fair trial.
I am specifically focusing on his need for adequate medical treatment and the
conditions under which he is being detained.
Most recently, on May 23, Chen was allowed to go to Cheng Kung Memorial Hospital
for only six hours. Doctors said that they would need much more time to treat
him adequately and that the six-hour time span had been a ¡§political condition¡¨
imposed by the authorities.
The right thing to do would be for the authorities to release him on medical
parole.
The second aspect is the conditions under which he is being detained ¡X a small
cell, with no bed, chair or desk.
If he wants to write, he has to lie down on the floor. Such treatment is
unconscionable and reminiscent of the Soviet Union more than 45 years ago, not
Taiwan in 2012.
The least that needs to be done is to give him an adequate cell, with a chair,
desk and regular bed. Like other prisoners, he should be allowed to work outside
his cell in the daytime, engaging in some physical activity. Finally, he should
have full access to his lawyer and comprehensive medical care.
Dealing with controversial issues like this is not easy, but a fair and
humanitarian resolution is essential if Taiwan wants to be considered a full
democracy, worthy of international respect.
Frank Murkowski is a former governor of Alaska and a US senator.
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