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Vote for freedom on March 22 |
2008-03-01 15:58:44 |
Li Thian-hok
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ip: 59 .X.X.X/.net |
Vote for freedom on March 22
By Li Thian-hok
Taiwan's Presidential election campaign
On March 22, the Taiwanese should vote for freedom, not servitude. Vote for hope, do not stay away in despair.
In a presidential election a candidate's credibility, character, ability and even allegiance to the nation are proper subjects of discussion. Taiwan's presidential campaign, however, has been sharply negative. DPP candidate Frank Hsieh's camp has alleged that KMT candidate Ma Ying-Jeou was a professional student who spied and informed on fellow students to the KMT security bureau while he was studying at Harvard University. For the last few weeks, Hsieh has questioned whether Ma's US permanent residency status is still valid and whether Ma may even be an US citizen, in the latter event Ma would be ineligible to run for president by law. In return, the Ma camp has charged, without offering credible evidence, that Hsieh was an informer for the Investigative Bureau in the distant past.
Regarding Taiwan's future, Ma asserts that the choice between independence and unification is a false issue. He appears to believe his three noes policy, i.e., no independence, no unification and no war will maintain the status quo indefinitely. This is a deceptive slogan. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is already capable of launching a multi-pronged assault on Taiwan and occupying the island in a short time, absent US intervention. Beijing has declared that China will resort to nonpeaceful means to annex Taiwan if the island drags its feet in accepting China's terms of surrender. So Ma can guarantee no war only if he is ready to accept unification.
Meanwhile, Frank Hsieh seems to be imitating Ma's "it's the economy, stupid" strategy by advocating implementation of the three direct links, opening of Taiwan to Chinese tourists, immigrants and investment. The only difference is Hsieh wants a more gradual economic integration with China.
What is at stake
With less than one month to voting day on March 22 there has been no substantive debate on the real issues challenging Taiwan's survival as a de facto independent country. What is at stake in the upcoming presidential election is no less than Taiwan's sovereignty and democracy. The KMT now controls three-quarters of the Legislative Yuan, giving the party virtually unrestrained power to pass any laws it chooses. If Ma is elected president, he will control the Executive Yuan as well, thus giving the KMT the authority to adopt policies which will deliver Taiwan irretrievably into China's grasp.
On March 22, 2006, Ma Ying-jeou gave a speech at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a prestigious think tank in Washington, D.C. He promised then that if elected he would right away negotiate a peace accord with Beijing. The prerequisite is, of course, that the Taiwan government accepts China's claim of sovereignty over Taiwan.
A nation-building agenda
Yet a great majority of the Taiwanese people reject PRC rule. This is evident in the popular support for President Chen Shui-bian's proposed referendum to apply for UN membership under the name of Taiwan. Nevertheless such a referendum is merely useful in demonstrating the people's desire for an independent, democratic state, which is recognized as a full and equal member of the international community. Before such a goal can be realized, however, the Taiwanese people must build the foundation of a viable nation-state including the following six steps: strong national defense, a self-reliant economy, deft diplomacy, a consensus on national identity, a new Taiwan constitution and finally, when the time is ripe, a formal declaration of independence. The first four steps are interrelated and must be achieved before the last two steps become feasible.
To bolster national defense, the defense budget should be increased from the current 2.85% of GDP to 5% in two years. Israel enjoys military superiority over its Arab neighbors and strong support of the US. Its defense budget is 9.6% of GDP. The conscript's service should be lengthened to 18 months. Modern warfare requires longer training periods to master high tech weapons and joint force operations. Readiness needs to be improved, for example, by stocking at least one month worth of strategic oil reserve, ammunition and other war materiel. A civil defense system should be established so as to avoid panic and reduce casualties.
To build a self-reliant economy, the Taiwan government should encourage return of businesses from China and diversification into other countries such as Vietnam. Taiwanese investment in China as a percentage of GDP is about 90 times the equivalent figure for the US and Japan. It is excessive and detrimental to Taiwan's national and economic security.
Good relations with the US are vital to Taiwan's survival as a democratic state. There needs to be better and high level communications between the two democratic allies and advance consultation whenever Taipei decides to take any action which Beijing or Washington may perceive as provocative. After a new president is in the White House and in Taipei, there could be a new beginning, to restore mutual trust and to foster closer political, economic and security cooperation. The report just published by the AEI and Armitage International Taiwan Policy Working Group contains many helpful proposals.
To build solid relations with the US, Taiwan must demonstrate by deeds that it is serious about national defense and that it loves freedom more than money.
The case for national unity
With the pan blue's super majority in the Legislative Yuan, the agenda proposed above may seem beyond reach. This is where national unity based on allegiance to Taiwan becomes relevant. Except for the old guard elements of the pan blue parties, a great majority of the 23 million people identify with Taiwan. They also prefer democracy and reject autocracy.
The pan blue minority who pledges allegiance to China and opposes Taiwan independence actually are working against the welfare of the 1.3 billion Chinese people. The PRC is at a crossroads of history. It is pursuing military aggrandizement and territorial expansion, heading ultimately toward conflict with the US, Japan and the Western democracies. Taiwan's capitulation will accelerate the PRC's confrontation with the West, resulting in a holocaust and possibly the demise of the Chinese civilization.
Alternatively, China can pursue peaceful development, diverting its vast military expenditures to alleviate poverty, improve the badly degraded environment, and provide a social safety net for the masses. China can embark on political reform, by allowing political opposition, a free press, religious freedom and try to end the endemic official corruption. By becoming a responsible stakeholder in the global community, China can earn respect as a great and humane power. Taiwan can help steer China in this direction by serving as a beacon of freedom to the Chinese people.
Freedom is not negotiable
Frank Hsieh must address the critical issue of how to maintain Taiwan's fragile status quo by outlining a concrete agenda. Only by offering his green base and the middle of the road voters a vision of Taiwan's future which is firmly anchored in irreconcilable freedom can Hsieh hope to win the presidency.
Time is short. Let us hope Hsieh managed to convey a sense of crisis to the voters, and make them understand that the choice is between life with freedom and dignity or servitude under the repressive rule of the Chinese Communist Party in the near future.
Ma has deeply ingrained anti-democratic instincts due to his KMT upbringing. The 81-day red shirt rebellion in the fall of 2006 was an attempt to unseat President Chen Shui-bian through extralegal means of unruly, massive street demonstration. As mayor of Taipei, Ma not only fanned the flames of the rebellion, he said at the height of the crisis: "If Chen doesn't resign, he will die an ugly death. The bullet is in the chamber. The gun is cocked. The next step is to pull the trigger." Ma's running mate, Vincent Sieu has stated that once in power, the KMT will install a Singapore type political system, that is, a one-party autocracy. To vote for the Ma-Sieu ticket is to forfeit forever Taiwan's hard won freedom.
On March 22, vote for freedom.
Li Thian-hok is a freelance commentator based in Pennsylvania.
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