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Academic proposes
¡¥Pacific identity¡¦
ISLAND MENTALITY: Edwin Yang said that Taiwanese
have never developed a Pacific identity primarily because of the Chinese
Nationalist Party¡¦s China-centric ideology
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Taiwan should develop a ¡§Pacific identity¡¨ and learn from the experience of
Pacific islands¡¦ independence movements as it pursues a future as an independent
country, an academic said yesterday.
¡§While Pacific countries in the so-called Oceania region are all small
countries, they appear to have a unique worldview and concept on their own way
of survival with a strong identity. I think we can learn from them,¡¨ Edwin Yang
(·¨Áoºa), an associate professor at National Taiwan Normal University and expert on
Pacific and Asian history, told a forum organized by the Taiwan Society.
Among the countries Yang was referring to are Palau, Nauru, Tuvalu, Samoa and
Papua New Guinea, mostly former colonies with small populations.
Rather than demanding immediate independence right after World War II, these
island nations tended to be more inclusive and tolerant during the process and
allowed independence movements to take their course at various speeds, Yang
said.
¡§They were also creative in the status of the country ¡X for example, the
Federated States of Micronesia ¡X and did not particularly care about ¡¥de facto
independence¡¦ like some of us did. They were patient, flexible and they
supported each other,¡¨ he added.
He described the independence-building process as a ¡§Pacific model,¡¨ as opposed
to the European model based on nation-states, the immigrant-based US model and
the Asian-African model based on post-war nationalism.
Sharing the same Austronesian heritage and living on a Pacific island, Taiwanese
have never had an islanders¡¦ and Pacific identity primarily because of the
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime¡¦s China-centric ideology, Yang said.
¡§Taiwan has never considered itself a Pacific country, which is odd for a
Pacific country,¡¨ Yang said.
If Taiwanese developed a Pacific identity, Yang said that the way Taiwan and
Taiwanese deal with the rest of the world and domestic issues could change
dramatically.
To make changes happen, Taiwan could immediately increase bilateral cultural
exchanges, as well as engagements on various fronts, including environmental
protection, language preservation and the preservation of relics from World War
II, with the Pacific islands, he said.
Increased exchanges with islands in the region could also win Taiwan a
diplomatic ally or two in the future, with places such as Bougainville Island,
New Caledonia and French Polynesia all possibly declaring independence someday,
Yang said.
The professor also warned that the independence groups in Taiwan ¡§have not done
as much as independence supporters on some of the Pacific islands in terms of
long-term efforts and promoting awareness.¡¨
¡§In the long run, developing a Pacific identity and a worldview of diversity
could help raise awareness of the Taiwan independence movement because it
highlights an ¡¥island mentality,¡¦¡¨ Yang said.
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