Oppose the Anti-Democratic Tide on Taiwan

Oppose the Anti-Democratic Tide on Taiwan
China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
November 26, 2007

Taipei City and other Pan Blue administered counties and municipalities intend to use a two stage balloting procedure. Last night, Chen Shui-bian responded that he was seriously considering four possibilities suggested by his advisors. These include: One, declaring martial law. Two, declaring the results of any plebiscites from counties and cities that use the two stage balloting procedure invalid. Three, firing all election officials in Pan Blue administered counties and municipalities and reappointing new ones. Four, postponing the election until an agreement has been reached. Assuming Chen Shui-bian was not merely running off at the mouth, we appeal to all individuals of conscience on Taiwan. Do not allow a solitary individual to destroy the ROC's democracy. We must not allow the ROC, which is already on the road to democracy, to backslide into authoritarianism and martial law.

The sad fact is an anti-democratic tide is rising on Taiwan. It already threatens the ROC's political framework. Some counties and cities intend to use a two stage balloting procedure. They are protesting the Central Election Commitee's violation of laws mandating secret balloting and administrative neutrality. To everyones' astonishment, the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of the Interior, the Central Election Committee, and the Ministry of Justice convened a press conference, threatening to punish any polling station workers who participate in the two stage balloting process. The ruling regime even threatened to press criminal charges against them and take away their pensions. It is resorting to unbelievably thuggish means to increase the number of plebiscite ballots cast. It is threatening criminal penalties and administrative punishments against these civil servants, who have a sworn duty to remain scrupulously neutral. The methods the ruling regime are using to impose its flagrantly biased balloting procedure upon local governments are barbaric. Martial law was rescinded twenty years ago. The DPP boasts of its love for the people. Yet it reveals its contempt for the people, its ostensible masters, by flagrantly manipulating the balloting procedure to ensure the results it wants. How can discriminating Individuals not be distressed?

Several months ago the Democratic Progressive Party, attempting to rationalize its opposition to Central Election Committee reform, obstructed the conduct of official business in the Legislature by means of physical violence. DPP legislators even locked the doors of the Legislature, then physically attacked opposition legislators. Whether the proposed Pan Blue bill for the Central Election Committee reform was ideal can be subjected to rational debate. But it absolutely may not be obstructed by resort to physical violence. In retrospect, the DPP's thuggish, anti-democratic behavior, was to ensure that the Central Election Committee would remain the ruling DPP's regime's reelection committee. The Central Election Committee is supposed to be objective and neutral. It is supposed to ensure free and fair elections, and thereby maintaining the core values of democracy. But Central Election Committee members controlled by today's Democratic Progressive Party, are willing to sell their souls, to betray their consciences, to be stooges for a specific political party. Not one of them understands the value of democracy. The Democratic Progressive Party is the political party which has destroyed the ROC's democracy. It is no exaggeration to say that these members of the Central Election Committee are the executioners of free and fair elections.

The ruling party has violated democratic principles by manipulating the Central Election Committee, in order to promote its Plebiscite to Join the UN. Over the past several months, the Democratic Progressive Party has illegally diverted government funds into promoting its "Join the UN" campaign. It has coerced the media into cooperating. It has resorted to a wide range of executive orders to coerce the public into signing or supporting its Petition to Join the UN. It has used official office hours to hold private meetings. It has stamped or pasted political slogans on private citizens' letters and packages, and on government property. It has filled government webpages with Join the UN propaganda. It has committed all sorts of violations of administrative neutrality. It has violated its obligation to behave like public servants, with a sense of propriety. Its sins truly are too many to enumerate.

The ruling party has turned its back on democratic ideals. The opposition parties and media have not been remiss. They have pointed out the ruling party's wrongdoings and harshly criticized it. But the ruling party has reacted to such criticisms and accusations as if they were Red Guards. Whenever any member of the public faults the Plebiscite to Join the UN for its violations of administrative neutrality or electoral neutrality, the ruling party immediately unleashes its official government media attack dogs upon them. The first thing they invariably do is change the subject. The very next thing they do is accuse any media that uphold media freedom as "pro reunification." They beatify themselves, depicting themselves as nativist defenders of the sacred soil of Taiwan. They use such simplistic dichotomies as cover for the violence they have done to democratic values in the name of the Plebiscite to Join the UN. The balloting procedure affects only the polling station process. Yet the ruling DPP's talking heads began ranting that any ballots cast by means of the two stage voting process would be declared invalid, that any unrest must be put down, and that it may be necessary to impose martial law. What sort of insane logic is this?

Opposition party criticisms regarding violations of administrative neutrality and electoral neutrality are reduced to struggles over reunification vs. independence, love for Taiwan vs. lack of love for Taiwan, nativist sentiment vs. non-nativist or even anti-nativist sentiment. As a consequence, the ruling DPP's thuggish and arbitrary behavior, becomes a necessary evil for these self-styled "lovers of Taiwan." Any criticisms leveled against them, are turned into nitpicking by those who are "selling out Taiwan." These "public servants" have sundered, divided, and hoodwinked their nominal bosses, "We, the People." Frankly, the political atmosphere on Taiwan reminds one of the Chinese Communist Party's "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution."

Chen Shui-bian is not averse to declaring martial law, to nullifying the results of any two stage balloting procedures, to postponing the election, or resorting to other forms of intimidation. Leave aside the fact that Chen Shui-bian once swore he "absolutely, positively would not declare martial law within the duration of his term. Everyone on Taiwan has the right to ask: Is this the way a democratically elected leader ought to be talking? Is this the way a political party that claims to believe in democracy ought to be thinking? This year is the 20th anniversary of the lifting of martial law. The DPP has long attempted to claim exclusive credit for the lifting of martial law. Now their own party chairman is publicly threatening to impose martial law upon citizens of the Republic of China. Why? Merely because certain counties and municipalities refused to knuckle under to the ruling regime's will regarding balloting procedures. Even authoritarian regimes don't have the chutzpah to impose martial law on such a flimsy pretext. Yet Chen Shui-bian blurted it right out. Even more shockingly, Chen Shui-bian is planning to declare the result of a democratically held election invalid. In other words, after voters of 2/3 of Taiwan's counties and municipalities exercise their right to vote, Chen Shui-bian and the Democratic Progressive Party intend to declare their votes invalid. To paraphrase an infamous DPP political ad, "no matter how barbaric one might be," and no matter how little the voters' ballots might figure in one's hearts, such madness is intolerable.

Our hearts are heavy leveling such harsh criticisms against the ruling party. Taiwan is our home, our only home. However painful, we must point out that any behavior that violates the principle of democracy for the sake of election victories, inflicts harm upon Taiwan. Democratic Progressive Party political figures have long mouthed slogans such as: "Elections are fleeting, democracy is forever" or "[So and so] may lose, but Taiwan must not lose." Today, their hypocrisy grates on the ears. We issue a stern warning to individuals of conscience within the DPP, if any. Whether the DPP will lose next year's election we don't know. But if you refuse to speak out, yet again, Taiwan's democracy surely will lose. We issue a stern warning to all politicians. ROC citizens' eyes are wide open. You may undermine Taiwan's democracy by resorting to deception. But the people will not allow you to win the upcoming elections. Finally, we appeal to everyone on Taiwan, treasure and defend our democratic ideals. Courageously protest, spurn, and resist any anti-democratic behavior. Only by defending democracy can we prevail against the reactionary currents of Taiwan's own Cultural Revolution.

中時電子報
中國時報 　2007.11.26
請正視台灣日漸升高的反民主氛圍
中時社論

　面對北市與泛藍執政縣市堅持兩階段領投票，陳水扁昨晚宣稱他正在慎重思考有人建議的四項方案，包括，宣布戒嚴、兩階段公投縣市選舉無效、撤銷泛藍縣市選委會主委重新指派，甚至由中央選委會宣布延後選舉，等說好之後再投票。如果陳水扁這些語言不是「信口開河」，那麼我們真的要呼籲台灣所有有識之士，千萬別讓台灣的民主根基毀在他一個人手上！更千萬別讓已邁向民主的台灣，走回威權戒嚴的回頭路！

　事實上，最近台灣的「反民主」氛圍，正在日漸升高，已經危及到台灣整個民主體質。要知道，若干縣市會堅持採取兩階段投票，主要是為抗議中選會違反基於祕密投票與選務中立，結果竟引來行政院、內政部、中選會、法務部等單位聯合召開記者會，揚言要對採取兩階段領票的選務人員逕行懲處，甚至以刑罰、退休金之有無做要脅。執政黨為了衝高公投領票率而採行爭議極大的領票方式已經是極為粗暴，如今竟還要用刑罰與行政懲處的手段脅迫本應中立的公教選務人員配合其粗暴，簡直就是野蠻。在台灣已經解嚴廿年之後，一個號稱愛鄉土的政黨，用這等不尊重人民頭家的方式肆行操弄選舉，真的是令有識之士痛心。

　早在數月之前，民進黨就為阻擋中央選委會的法制化與合理化，在立法院多次干擾議事，甚至封鎖議場、大打出手。泛藍所提的中選會組織法可能不理想，但絕對要用理性的方式討論，而非以粗野的方式阻止其討論。事後看來，這些粗野、反民主的行為，似乎都是在為今日執政黨操控中選會做準備。中央選委會理應是個客觀、中立、保障選舉公平運作、維護民主核心價值的機構，但是今日民進黨所主控的若干中選會委員，一個個都像是不知民主價值為何物的化外之民，甘為特定政黨之狹隘目的，而出賣自己的靈魂與良知。以今日情勢觀之，若說民進黨是蹂躪台灣民主的政黨、說中選會若干委員是摧毀選舉公平的劊子手，似乎並不為過。

　此外，執政黨為了拉抬入聯公投，其違背民主原則的手段不只是操控中選會而已。在過去數月之中，民進黨非法挪用法定預算宣傳該黨之入聯活動、壓迫媒體配合行銷、以各種行政手段脅迫民眾連署或支持其公投案、在公務上班時間召開徇私會議、在民眾文件與政府公物上貼標語貼紙、將政府網頁網站濫加入聯文宣連結，其種種違反行政中立、違反人民公僕應有分際的倒行逆施，真的是族繁不及備載。

　面對執政黨這樣悖離民主理念的作為，在野黨不是沒有指責、媒體也不是沒有嚴厲批評，但執政黨對此批評與指責，竟然是以幾近紅衛兵的方式回應。輿論若是指責入聯公投違反行政中立或選務中立，立刻就有御用媒體邀集鷹犬級的名嘴予以回擊。他們一貫的作法，就是先模糊焦點，再一竿子把自由派媒體濫批為統派，把自己神聖化為本土、愛台灣，以這樣的胡亂二分法，去遮掩其種種為入聯公投而扭曲民主價值的作為。無論如何，領票方式只涉及選務流程，但竟有名嘴以幾近瘋狂的語氣主張行兩階段投票的選區一律選舉無效，動亂要弭平，甚至不惜採取戒嚴。這是什麼樣的猖狂邏輯？

　同樣的，對於在野黨有關行政中立與選舉中立的質疑，執政黨也是把一切的批評都歸納為統／獨、愛台／不愛台、本土／反本土的二分法。於是，所有的粗魯蠻橫，似乎都成了這一批自稱愛台者的必要之惡。而一切對他們的質疑，又都變成了賣台者的吹毛求疵。一群人民公僕，竟然把人民頭家撕裂、分化、利用、蒙蔽到這種地步，坦白說，簡直已經有了中共當年「文革」的氛圍。

　如今，陳水扁連不惜宣布戒嚴、兩階段投票無效、延後選舉等的恫嚇都搬出來了，先不必提陳水扁曾做過他任內「絕不會宣布戒嚴」的保證，至少所有台灣人都有權利要問一聲：這該是一個民選領袖該吐出的語言嗎？這該是一個以民主信仰為尚的政黨該有的念頭嗎？今年剛好還是解嚴二十周年，一個幾乎把「解嚴」的功業全攬在自己身上的政黨，他們黨主席竟然公開恫嚇台灣人民要宣布戒嚴，理由只不過是有些縣市在投票程序上不依執政黨的意志而為，這恐怕是連威權國家都不敢有的作為，陳水扁一句話就說出來了！更駭人聽聞的是，陳水扁還意圖要將民主選舉所產生的結果直接宣布無效，換言之，當台灣占有三分之二版圖縣市的選民行使完他們投票權以後，陳水扁或是民進黨可以逕自宣布其為無效，再怎麼野蠻，再怎麼不把台灣人民的選票看在眼裡，也容不得這般胡作非為吧？

　我們今天對執政黨做這麼嚴厲的批評，心情是非常沉重的。台灣是我們的家園，我們唯一的家園。我們要沉痛地指出；任何為求勝選而悖離民主原則的行為，都是對台灣的傷害。民進黨政治人物常在嘴上掛著兩句話：「選舉是一時的、民主是永久的」、「某某人可以輸、台灣卻不能輸」，如今讀來都十分刺耳。我們要正告民進黨內的有識之士，明年的選舉民進黨輸不輸尚未可知，但倘若你們再不仗義執言，台灣的民主就絕對是在慘輸。我們也要正告所有的政客，台灣人民的眼睛是雪亮的；即便你們使出敗壞台灣民主的欺矇手段，人民也不會讓你們贏得一時的選舉。最後，我們也要呼籲所有的台灣人民，珍惜並堅持我們共有的民主理想，勇敢地抗議、唾棄、抵制所有悖離民主原則的作為。唯有我們堅持真正的民主，才能擊潰這一股文革逆流。