A Plebiscite hijacks an Election, A Bian hijacks the People

A Plebiscite hijacks an Election, A Bian hijacks the People
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
September 17, 2007

After two frantic demonstrations, one Green and one Blue, ruling government and opposition party leaders seem pleased with the results. But many people may be tempted to ask: Now what? Do political leaders on Taiwan have nothing more important to attend to? Is the "Plebiscite to Join the UN" the only topic they intend to tackle between now and March next year? Unfortunately the answer appears to be yes.

Judging by the result, the biggest winner is Chen Shui-bian. Everyone else was a loser. Remember the same time last year? Public outrage over ruling DPP corruption, brought to a head by the Red Shirt Army, nearly drove Chen out of office. Yet today he has succeeded into shifting the focus from "anti-corruption" to a "Plebiscite to Join the UN." Once he was being passively attacked. Now he has seized the offensive. He has turned his vistor status into a home field advantage. The "Hsieh/Su ticket" been demoted to the status of supporting players. Even the "Ma/Hsiao ticket" can only join the parade. With the result so rewarding for him, what reason does Chen Shui-bian have not to milk it for all it's worth?

Everyone capable of rational thought knows perfectly well that the "Plebiscite to Join the UN" is an absurd charade. From beginning to end it has been a phony issue manipulated for election purposes. Those in the know, know that the plebiscite is a case of the "Emperor's New Clothes." But what of it? If the emperor knows no shame, and insists on going through the motions of donning his "new clothes," can others refuse to play along?

It makes no difference how long Chen Shui-bian remains president. Every day he remains in the presidential palace, he will abuse his authority to the fullest, The term "lame duck" is not in his dictionary. If he wants to exploit the "Plebiscite to Join the UN" for political advantage, he will abuse the power of his office mobilizing the machinery of government. It makes no difference how many people commit suicide by carbon monoxide every day. It makes no difference how many hundreds of millions in tax money are squandered on the "Plebiscite to Join the UN." It makes no difference how many political posters and advertisements peoples are forced to see and hear. Once he "Plebiscite to Join the UN" demonstration is given the green light, two hundred million NT in tax money will be consumed in the blink of an eye. How much more money will be squandered? Who knows? Haven't central government authorities been complaining about budgets being tight? So why is that whenever President Chen issues an order, money is suddenly no object?

Many people want to scream: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!" So many matters are more important and urgent than the "Plebiscite to Join the UN." What is the purpose of sweeping aside these matters and compelling the entire nation to pursue this unachievable goal? The answer is this: When someone is unwilling to leave office and face possible prosecution for corruption, why would he pay the slightest attention to your protests? When he has successfully rallied Deep Green mob sentiment, why would he ever yell "Stop."

After repeated warnings from US officials, many people worried that Washington/Taipei relations would suffer, Not only was Chen Shui-bian unconcerned, he repeatedly sounded the call to arms. He assumed an air of casual defiance, as if ready and willing to have it out with the US and mainland China. We shouldn't be surprised. Because the more the US and mainland China lash out at him, the more sympathy he will gain from an angry public. Any diplomatic mess can be left to his successor. As he figures it, no matter how big a mess he leaves, he won't need to take any responsibility whatsoever. Why should he fear when it's "Heads I win, tails you lose?"

The hotter the "Plebiscite to Join the UN" burns, the dimmer Hsieh and Su's lights burn. What do any factional rivalries or grievances that Hsieh and Su have count for now? The pair have been demoted to the status of Ping and Pang in Turandot, to Chen's attendants. During "Plebiscite to Join the UN" rallies, the keynote speaker is always Chen Shui-bian. Hsieh and Su can forget about competing. Both have been marginalized. Chen and Chen alone is masterminding this election.

Many people are also criticizing Ma Ying-jeou and Vincent Siew for meekly joining the parade. Not only have Ma and Siew lost their home court advantage, they have alienated Deep Blue voters. The question is, did they have a choice? In 2004, the Lien/Soong ticket focused on the economy. An absurd plebiscite followed by an even more absurd "assassination attempt" pushed substantive debate off the table. Chen Shui-bian has invested all of the government's resources into the "Plebiscite to Join the UN." The US and mainland China have been forced to dance to his tune. Ma and Siew may scream about the economy until they are hoarse, but will voters care? If they refuse to knuckle under, if on September 15, they refuse to join the parade, they will receive no media coverage whatsoever. If on the other hand they take to the streets wearing blue and white "Made in Taiwan" rubber sandals, it makes no difference how ridiculous they might look. At least they will get half of the media coverage. Whether they can shift the focus of debate is another matter altogether.

See what we mean? This is our plight. A president whose term in office ends in half a year, cannot control his own son in law's insider trading or account for the irregularities in his own State Affairs Confidential Expense case. Yet he can hijack the Democratic Progressive Party, hijack the Executive Yuan, hijack Frank Hsieh and Su Tseng-chang, hijack the Kuomintang and the Ma/Siew ticket, even hijack the ordinary citizen. Right now nobody can tell A Bian to shut up. Nobody can tell him to cease and desist. In the coming half year, we will witness a presidential election being hijacked by a plebiscite. We will do so as A Bian's hostages.

中國時報 　
2007.09.17
是公投綁大選，也是阿扁綁全民
中時社論

兩場激情的動員之後，朝野領袖似乎都對效果頗為滿意，但是很多人此刻都很想問一句：接下來呢？是不是從此刻到明年三月，台灣已沒有其他更重要的事，就只有「公投入聯」這檔事？很遺憾，照這個趨勢繼續走下去，好像答案就是這樣！

從最終的效果看來，最大的贏家當然是陳水扁一人獨得！有人還記得去年的此刻嗎？那時節紅衫軍所掀起的反貪腐怒潮，幾乎將他衝下台，如今他將議題焦點成功的從「反貪腐」扭轉成「公投入聯」，從被動挨打變成主動出擊，從「客場劣勢」轉成「主場優勢」，不僅讓「長昌配」淪為配角，「馬蕭配」也只能拿香跟拜，有如此豐碩的成果，請問陳水扁有什麼理由不玩下去？

是的，所有懂得理性思考的人，都清楚這場「入聯公投」的虛妄性與荒謬性，是從頭到尾在配合選舉操作的假議題。但就算有識者指出它根本就是「國王的新衣」又有何用？如果被剝光的國王自己根本不覺羞慚，還是要硬穿他的「新衣」繼續走秀，其他人能夠不跟嗎？

要知道，不管陳水扁還要做多久的總統，只要他在總統府上班一天，他就會將他的權力使用到極致，在他字典中從來沒有「跛鴨」這兩字。他要玩「公投入聯」，他就一定藉由他職位上優勢，驅動整個國家機器全部投入。所以不論民間每天燒炭身亡的數字是不是在攀高，幾億幾億國民納的稅金都會投進「公投入聯」運動上，標語貼紙廣告早就充斥所有人的視聽空間了，一場入聯公投的遊行，兩億的國家預算眼睛眨都不眨一下就全砸了下去，接下來還要耗費多少錢誰也不知道，中央政府總預算不是一直吃緊嗎？問題是，陳總統一聲令下，多少錢也得配合，不是嗎？

問題就是這麼簡單，很多人都想吶喊：「我受夠了！」當下的台灣比「公投入聯」還重要的議題實在太多了，把一堆急迫的問題擱著不管，卻要傾舉國之力去追求一個根本達不到的目標，這是在幹嘛呢？問題是，當一個面對貪腐訴訟都不肯下台的總統，他會理你嗎？當他已激起深綠選民的熱情之際，他還會住手嗎？

在美國官員一而再、再而三的提出警語後，許多人擔心關心美台關係將因此受到傷害，但陳水扁不僅不怕，還一再公開嗆聲叫陣，一副不惜與美中兩大超強開幹也無所懼的氣魄，他當然可以什麼都不怕，因為此刻美中的施壓力道越大，收割民意反彈成果的是他，未來善後的則是下一任總統！此刻的他就算把外交爛攤子捅得更大，都不必負任何責任，有這種無本生意，試問他何所懼？

注意到沒有？公投入聯炒越熱，蘇謝兩人的身影也就愈黯淡，先前蘇謝有過什麼派系宿怨，有過什麼誤解心結，現在還重要嗎？不重要了，他們兩人早淪為阿扁身旁的哼哈二將，所有公投入聯的造勢場合，壓軸的永遠是陳水扁，蘇謝也不必比什麼大小了，反正一塊都被邊緣化了，這是場陳水扁一個人在玩的選舉！

也有不少人在批評馬蕭何必「拿香跟拜」？不僅喪失主場優勢，也激怒深藍選民，問題是他們有選擇嗎？二○○四年的連宋配談民生議題談得還少嗎？一場荒誕的諮詢性公投外加兩顆子彈，還不是摧枯拉朽，擋都擋不住？當陳水扁祭出所有資源在玩入聯公投之際，當美、中兩大超強都被逼隨之起舞之際，馬蕭兩人扯破喉嚨去喊拚經濟，有人會搭理嗎？他們如果不拿香跟拜，九一五也不辦遊行，整個視聽空間他們連邊都沾不到，他們穿著「藍白拖」上街，自不自然是另一回事，起碼守住半場優勢，至於他們能否再轉移焦點，那得看他們自己的能耐了。

看清楚沒有？這就是我們處境，一個任期只剩半年的總統，沒本事管束他自己女婿炒內線，也沒本事交代他的國務機要費去向，卻有本事綁架民進黨、綁架行政院、綁架長昌配，進一步綁架國民黨與馬蕭配，最後就是全民被綁架！此刻沒有人能叫阿扁住嘴，也沒人能叫他住手，未來半年，我們不僅要在公投綁大選的歲月中度過，也要在阿扁綁全民的氛圍中度過！