Taiwan to America: Your Attention is Needed, for Your Own Sake
Taiwan is burning.
It is a feeling felt on the streets surrounding the national legislature, occupied by students for more than a week now to oppose the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement with China. It is an emotion that is gushed over the screams, the loud shedding of tears, and harsh words of the protest spokespeople who had chosen to stand the make-shift central stages in rotation. They speak without an end, keeping the voice of the movement continuously heard, and in the process tirelessly rallying the sit-in crowd, whose members, hailing from all corners of the island, gave up their studies, jobs, and families to hold their ground.
But that burning, boiling in the minds of everyone, is never reflected physically.
Non-violence and non-confrontation characterize the sit-in protest, in a highly un-protest-like manner. No weapon is in sight. Not even a piece of rock is tossed at the police, whose weariness is clearly visible after executing unpopular directives to violently disperse protestors few days ago.
Unfortunately, the government is equating the non-violence with unthreatening meekness.
President Ma Ying-jeou, with his characteristic smile, dismisses the protestors, noting again and again that the Agreement is needed for Taiwan to become more open, more competitive, and ultimately more prosperous. But in his smile, he deliberately ignores the pleas of the protestors. For them, this is no longer about economics or China; it is instead about the very survival of Taiwan’s still-young democracy. Ma’s attempt to rush the Agreement through legislative ratification, signing it into law without line-by-line review, will be a dangerous precedent if successful. A “black-box” procedure that is designed to keep the public ill-informed on the Agreement’s contents and consequences, it will destroy any semblance of political power’s checks and balances. Ma feels the non-violent students, ultimately, cannot stop him.
This democratic violation is extremely pertinent to America.
America’s credibility as the defender of liberal democratic values is at the crossroads. After mishaps with setting up new political systems in the Middle East, many around the globe have assigned more national self-interests and propagandistic hypocrisy, than genuine internationalism and humanitarian ideals, with American behaviors. America’s weak responses and double standards when faced with stronger powers, such as Putin’s Russia, has not gained her any more confidence or favor.
Taiwan is America’s needed chance to redeem herself.
For two decades and a half, Taiwan has proven to be a shining beacon of peaceful democratic transition amid economic stability. Free elections are held and parties of opposing ideologies change governments with little bloodshed or open conflicts. The economy remains calm and the people relatively content despite the ups and downs of inevitable policy disagreements. In the Asian neighborhood entangled in countless political upheavals and international disputes, Taiwan has in many ways been America’s ideal disciple.
This fact should not be changed, since the biggest victim of that change will be America.
Ma’s success can only be translated as a decisive victory of economic nationalism over political liberalism. It can only serve to illustrate that the money-making interests of politico-corporate alliances can easily trump the rights of the people to be represented in public decision-making. It emboldens other regional governments that want to force through unpopular economic arrangements in similar ways. Given the increasing economic might of China vis-à-vis that of America here in Asia, the potential domino effect can not only reduce democracy but also fundamentally decrease American regional influence. America’s twin leverage of political affiliation and economic cooperation will be dramatically curtailed.
But the severest damage is to the idea of America as an ever-present, trustworthy ally.
For the protestors hurdled around the legislature, America remains a political symbol. Many of the movement’s ideological ideas are borrowed from American equivalents. Slogans are written in English. Leaders speak of coverage of the protests on American media outlets, and quote supporting responses from individual American politicians.
What they now need is official American support.
They realize that the Ma government is just playing delay tactics, fighting a war of attrition in hopes of wearing out the students. The protests are quickly reaching a stalemate with no effective methods to force a genuine government response. Only external pressure, from America, can force the Taiwanese government to change its stance. The final goal of the protests, with so much blood and tears already invested, depends on this international support.
America, they ask, are you ready?
It is a feeling felt on the streets surrounding the national legislature, occupied by students for more than a week now to oppose the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement with China. It is an emotion that is gushed over the screams, the loud shedding of tears, and harsh words of the protest spokespeople who had chosen to stand the make-shift central stages in rotation. They speak without an end, keeping the voice of the movement continuously heard, and in the process tirelessly rallying the sit-in crowd, whose members, hailing from all corners of the island, gave up their studies, jobs, and families to hold their ground.
But that burning, boiling in the minds of everyone, is never reflected physically.
Non-violence and non-confrontation characterize the sit-in protest, in a highly un-protest-like manner. No weapon is in sight. Not even a piece of rock is tossed at the police, whose weariness is clearly visible after executing unpopular directives to violently disperse protestors few days ago.
Unfortunately, the government is equating the non-violence with unthreatening meekness.
President Ma Ying-jeou, with his characteristic smile, dismisses the protestors, noting again and again that the Agreement is needed for Taiwan to become more open, more competitive, and ultimately more prosperous. But in his smile, he deliberately ignores the pleas of the protestors. For them, this is no longer about economics or China; it is instead about the very survival of Taiwan’s still-young democracy. Ma’s attempt to rush the Agreement through legislative ratification, signing it into law without line-by-line review, will be a dangerous precedent if successful. A “black-box” procedure that is designed to keep the public ill-informed on the Agreement’s contents and consequences, it will destroy any semblance of political power’s checks and balances. Ma feels the non-violent students, ultimately, cannot stop him.
This democratic violation is extremely pertinent to America.
America’s credibility as the defender of liberal democratic values is at the crossroads. After mishaps with setting up new political systems in the Middle East, many around the globe have assigned more national self-interests and propagandistic hypocrisy, than genuine internationalism and humanitarian ideals, with American behaviors. America’s weak responses and double standards when faced with stronger powers, such as Putin’s Russia, has not gained her any more confidence or favor.
Taiwan is America’s needed chance to redeem herself.
For two decades and a half, Taiwan has proven to be a shining beacon of peaceful democratic transition amid economic stability. Free elections are held and parties of opposing ideologies change governments with little bloodshed or open conflicts. The economy remains calm and the people relatively content despite the ups and downs of inevitable policy disagreements. In the Asian neighborhood entangled in countless political upheavals and international disputes, Taiwan has in many ways been America’s ideal disciple.
This fact should not be changed, since the biggest victim of that change will be America.
Ma’s success can only be translated as a decisive victory of economic nationalism over political liberalism. It can only serve to illustrate that the money-making interests of politico-corporate alliances can easily trump the rights of the people to be represented in public decision-making. It emboldens other regional governments that want to force through unpopular economic arrangements in similar ways. Given the increasing economic might of China vis-à-vis that of America here in Asia, the potential domino effect can not only reduce democracy but also fundamentally decrease American regional influence. America’s twin leverage of political affiliation and economic cooperation will be dramatically curtailed.
But the severest damage is to the idea of America as an ever-present, trustworthy ally.
For the protestors hurdled around the legislature, America remains a political symbol. Many of the movement’s ideological ideas are borrowed from American equivalents. Slogans are written in English. Leaders speak of coverage of the protests on American media outlets, and quote supporting responses from individual American politicians.
What they now need is official American support.
They realize that the Ma government is just playing delay tactics, fighting a war of attrition in hopes of wearing out the students. The protests are quickly reaching a stalemate with no effective methods to force a genuine government response. Only external pressure, from America, can force the Taiwanese government to change its stance. The final goal of the protests, with so much blood and tears already invested, depends on this international support.
America, they ask, are you ready?
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