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ANALYSIS: Local
politics, not China, behind sea gambit
By J. Michael Cole / Staff reporter
The dramatic standoff between dozens of Taiwanese fishing boats, Coast Guard
Administration (CGA) vessels and Japanese patrol ships near the disputed
Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) on Tuesday morning made global headlines and fueled
speculation that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration may have
orchestrated the incident to divert attention from domestic issues or to do
Beijing’s work. However, observers said that things are not that simple.
Following the announcement by Tokyo on Sept. 11 that it had nationalized three
islets in the Diaoyutais — known as the Senkakus in Japan — Taipei and Beijing,
which both claim the island chain, protested the move, which had generated
violent demonstrations across China and a much smaller rally in Taipei on
Sunday.
On Sept. 20, the Suao Fishermen’s Association in Yilan County announced that
several dozen Taiwanese fishing boats would set sail for the Diaoyutais on
Monday to protest against what they called Japan’s “illegal occupation” of the
island group and “harassment of fishermen” around the islands.
Although the Yilan County Government, headed by Commissioner Lin Tsung-hsien
(林聰賢) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), turned down a request for NT$5
million (US$170,000) in fuel subsidies for the fishermen, the sortie was
eventually made possible by a donation of that amount by Want Want China Times
Group chairman Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), who has often been portrayed as pro-China.
Also fueling speculation that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) had plotted
the sortie to create a diversion was the role played by Suao District 2
Administrator Hong Hsiu-tsao (洪秀璪) of the KMT, who took part in the event.
Hong told a Japanese reporter that the issue was not whether one likes Japan or
not, but one of fishing rights.
However, Ketty Chen (陳婉宜), a political scientist at National Taiwan University
who studies KMT political activity, says the requirement for politicians to meet
the needs of their constituents, rather than directives from the central party
committee or party ideology, helped explain Hong’s role.
“Even if the local KMT participated in the sortie, this does not mean that the
KMT ‘orchestrated’ the whole thing,” she said, adding that fishermen
constituencies have historically been close to the KMT.
“We therefore can’t assume that Ma told Hong to go,” Chen said.
Despite turning down the request for financial assistance, the county government
sent rescue ships to assist with supplies, and in a statement, Lin, who
reportedly had wanted to accompany the fishermen, but was barred by the DPP from
doing so, commended the fishermen for their “bravery” and “determination.”
Again, this shows that “politicians will go where their constituents and
supporters go,” Chen said.
Journalists who were present at Suao prior to the departure on Monday also
reported that the fishermen said they were only interested in protecting their
fishing rights and had little interest in China or politics. The T-shirts they
wore and the banners on the boats carried messages about issues of livelihood
and fishing rights, not sovereignty.
The Suao and Keelung fishermen’s associations also stayed clear of the protest
in Taipei on Sunday, where about 1,500 people, including organizations calling
for cross-strait cooperation, clamored for the Republic of China’s (ROC)
sovereignty over the Diaoyutais.
Chen Chun-sheng (陳君聖), president of the Suao Fishermen’s Association in Yilan
County, said last week that the association’s members had a different agenda,
which was to secure their fishing rights.
The sovereignty issue should be handled by the government, he said.
The Chunghua Baodiao Alliance, a more nationalistic group with ties to Hong Kong
and China, did not participate in the sortie, saying its presence would have
complicated matters.
Meanwhile, in Taipei, the KMT and the Presidential Office commended the
fishermen for their patriotism and emphasized the public’s initiative, casting
doubt on the notion that Tuesday’s events were directed from Taipei.
The KMT was also conspicuously absent from the protest on Sunday.
Lin Yu-siang (林鈺祥), an adviser to the Institute for National Policy Research and
a former KMT legislator, said KMT members did not want to align themselves with
the protesters.
“Those are the pro-China, unificationists; it is not us,” he said.
The fishermen were out to protect their interests and for them the issue was not
sovereignty, Lin Yu-siang said, adding that the KMT would not be able to
motivate the fishermen to head to Diaoyutais to defend ROC sovereignty “even if
they paid them NT$100 million.”
Although the central government could have prevented the fishermen from heading
for the Diaoyutais, as it has done in the past, local pressure from fishermen’s
associations compelled it to allow them to set sail. After that, the government
had no choice but to dispatch coast guard vessels to ensure their safety.
“What is the coast guard supposed to do in such a case, nothing?” Chen asked.
Tsai’s donation to the fishermen also spoke more to his roots than ideology. The
Yilan-born entrepreneur, who prior to making his fortune in the crackers
business worked in the canned fish industry, said he provided the money because
people should not regard Taiwanese as “weaklings.”
Never missing an opportunity, Tsai also had a company banner affixed to one of
the boats.
Lin Yu-siang said the fishermen committed a strategic error bt accepting money
from Tsai because of his close association with China. Taking money from Tsai
gives the Japanese and the pan-green camp the excuse to imply that China was
behind the whole thing and that Ma is doing China’s dirty work, he said.
All of this shows that the issue is very complex, with overlapping and sometimes
conflicting mandates, Chen said.
“It’s not black and white,” she said.
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