Winning Office with Their Tongues. Staying in Office with Their Tongues

Winning Office with Their Tongues. Staying in Office with Their Tongues
United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
November 13, 2007

Annette Lu surprised everyone. She declared that "The attainment of political power truly does depend upon the ability to talk." It's possible of course that she misspoke. To stress the importance of speech-making, Lu said that wherever she and Chen Shui-bian spoke, she shook hands with everyone, smiled, and by doing so "racked up another vote." If the president and vice president were actually elected on the basis of their silver tongues, then the power of language truly is astonishing.

Chen Shui-bian won political office by means of his tongue. Now however, that same tongue is demeaning the people of Taiwan. "The Pacific Ocean doesn't have a lid on it." Chen declared, "Anyone who thinks China is so wonderful can swim over there!" Does the head of state intend to banish people from their own homes? Was he merely showing off his rhetorical skills, or did his words reflect the narrowness of his mind and the smallness of his heart? Annette Lu wants to underscore the astonishing power of language. Chen Shui-bian, ironically, is doing precisely that. He is providing us with an eloquent demonstration of how he and the Democratic Progressive Party rule the nation.

Chen Shui-bian is unrelenting while holding forth at campaign rallies. He is unrelenting while attacking his opponents. He is unrelenting while promoting his "political achievements." He has reached the point where he now says anything that comes to his mind. Political opponents and party comrades share this perception. Perhaps Annette Lu's indiscreet remark that "The attainment of political power truly does depend upon the ability to talk" was not wrong after all. Saying anything that comes to your mind may be a means of survival in the political jungle, but it is hardly something the average person considers worthy of respect. Chen Shui-bian's manner of speech has become an indicator for observers of Taiwan's political scene and social trends.

Chen Shui-bian's rhetoric comes in several varieties. The most common is what Annette Lu referred to as a way to "rack up another vote." Usually this involves issuing blank checks, making wildly irresponsible election promises. For example, Chen Shui-bian once shouted himself hoarse talking about his commitment to "rescuing the economy." But after holding a much ballyhooed economic summit, he let the entire matter drop. Now he is doing the same with his "Join the UN" campaign. Even Chen Shui-bian himself admits "Nothing will come of it." Yet the Democratic Progressive Party persists in squandering all sorts of resources on this utterly pointless campaign. They don't know how to rescue the economy. Yet they unblinkingly assure us that "our competitiveness equals South Korea's." Financial reform, judicial reform, and education reform have turned into debacles. Yet they unblinkingly assure us they intend to "persevere in their reforms." Such surrealistic election rhetoric, such bare-faced lies, use misleading data and rosy scenarios to deceive some voters. Their ability to govern has repeatedly fallen short of expectations, undermining Taiwan's economic development. This is why so many members of the public are openly complaining, straight to Chen Shui-bian's face, that they can no longer survive.

Chen Shui-bian has a second kind of rhetoric, one that divides society, foments civil unrest, manufactures opposition, and propagates hatred. This is Chen Shui-bian's most unforgiveable sin. Some have directly compared the harm inflicted upon social harmony to Hitler's politics of hate. Chen's remark "The Pacific Ocean has no lid. Swim to China if you like!" is merely the most recent example. Every time a member of the public expresses dissatisfaction with DPP misrule, he accuses them of being "Communists," "Chi-Com fellow travellers," or "Members of the Red Shirt Army." Rival political parties and candidates are slandered and vilified. Chiang Kai-Shek is labelled a murderer. Ma Ying-jeou is maligned as a "Traitor to Taiwan." Chen uses his status as head of state to foment social opposition. Postwar Germany learned a painful lesson. Germany's constitution prohibits language that foments racial opposition. A Bian has sown the seeds of hatred within Taiwan's society. Will it be necessary some day to establish legal standards to heal the wounds caused by this hatred?

Chen Shui-bian has a third kind of rhetoric, as demonstrated by his mean-spirited personality and cultural bankruptcy. He has put his foot in his mouth too many times to mention. He has mocked ordinary citizens with remarks such as "If you can no longer get by, what are you doing at a high end audio and video exhibit?" He has revealed the sort of person he is through his behavior. What sort of person is he? The public has already arrived at its own conclusions. Chen Shui-bian's offensive terminology and obstinate behavior has often been characterized as "lawerly" conduct. Many lawyers have complained that Chen Shui-bian has has tarnished lawyers' public image. A single individual's personal style has resulted in the negative stereotyping of an entire profession. What is this but a case of one bad apple spoiling the entire barrel?

The Democratic Progressive Party has been in power for nearly eight years. The public now complains openly to Chen Shui-bian's face wherever he goes. In response, the president says whatever comes to mind, wherever he goes. After attaining political office on the basis of their speaking ability, Chen and the DPP have no political achievements worth mentioning. So confesses Annette Lu, Chen Shui-bian's own running mate. Now that they are in power, their ability to talk is what they are relying on to maintain their power, as testified by the popular discontent they encounter wherever they go. To write his political legacy, Chen Shui-bian need only open his mouth.

當選只靠一張嘴‧執政也靠一張嘴
【聯合報╱社論】
2007.11.13 03:45 am

呂秀蓮語出驚人，聲稱拿到政權「真的是靠一張嘴」。這或許只是一場失言風波。呂秀蓮為強調演講的重要，說她和陳水扁到處演講，和大家握握手，微微笑，就「拐到選票」。正副總統搭檔如果真以舌粲蓮花就贏得選舉，只能說語言的力量太驚人。

不過，靠一張嘴贏得政權的陳水扁，同樣的一張嘴，卻也用來凌厲地傷害了台灣人民。「太平洋又沒加蓋，認為中國好可以游過去啊」，國家元首打算把老百姓掃地出門嗎？口出此言，是為展示伶牙俐齒的本事，還是如實反映了心中的褊狹刻薄呢？如果呂秀蓮所欲強調的是語言力量驚人，則陳水扁正是在運用這驚人的語言力量，展現了他個人和民進黨非同一般的執政風格。

陳水扁在競選場子中滔滔不絕，攻擊對手滔滔不絕，宣傳政績滔滔不絕，為自己和家人身陷貪腐風暴而強辯更是滔滔不絕。這種口才已達到了堪稱「口不擇言」的地步，不管是他的政治對手或黨內同僚恐怕都深有同感，也所以呂秀蓮的「靠一張嘴拿到政權」或許並非失言。但「口不擇言」即使是一種生存競爭的本領，卻未見得是一般人認定值得尊敬的人格特質。陳水扁的語言風格，遂成了觀察台灣政治、甚至影響社會風氣轉變的一個研究標的。

陳水扁的語言，大致有幾種類型。最常見、也就是呂秀蓮所謂拐騙選票用的，通常以買空賣空、虛誇不實的選舉語言為主。例如早先曾經聲嘶力竭要「拚經濟」，大張旗鼓開了經發會之後不了了之；如今以更加鋪天蓋地的手法搞入聯，連陳水扁也自承公投後「什麼事都不會發生」，民進黨卻仍賠盡各種行政資源在所不惜；經濟搞不好，仍睜眼說瞎話稱「競爭力不輸南韓」；金融改革、司法改革、教育改革皆一敗塗地，繼續面無愧色稱「堅持改革到底」。這種名實不副、簡直擺明說謊的選舉語言，以誤導性的資料和虛幻的願景麻痺了部分選民；但執政能力每下愈況的結果，是耽誤了台灣的發展機會，至今成為很多小民直接向陳水扁嗆聲「活不下去」的主因。

陳水扁語言的另一類型，以分裂社會、挑激族群、製造對立、散播仇恨為主。這是陳水扁的最大罪孽，有人痛批對族群感情的傷害效果直比希特勒的仇恨統治。「太平洋沒加蓋，可以游過去中國」只不過是最新例證而已；凡遇到民眾表達不滿即扣以紅帽子，或指為中共同路人，或歸為紅衫軍。對於競爭的政黨和對手當然是極盡抹黑和汙蔑能事，從罵蔣介石是殺人元凶到誣指馬英九「新賣台集團」種種，以國家元首的地位卻蓄意製造社會分裂。戰後德國痛定思痛，以憲法明文制止煽動族群對立的言論；如今的阿扁總統所向台灣社會散播的仇恨種子，有朝一日是否須待法律規範才可能修復這種傷痕？

陳水扁的語言另有一種類型，呈現了他尖酸刻薄的人格特質和浮淺貧血的文化底蘊。不管是用錯成語到「罄竹難書」的地步，或譏諷小市民「活不下去還能去看音響展」；就展現其人「人之所以為人」的素質而言，評價如何，已經在一般民眾之間形成公論。陳水扁尖刻傷人的用語和強辯到底的特色，輿論不時以「陳律師」予以形容，卻令很多律師同業抗議其誤導了律師的公眾形象。以一個人的風格即形塑了整個行業的刻板印象，難道不是「一粒老鼠屎，壞了一鍋粥」？

民進黨執政近八年，如今陳水扁所至，民眾嗆聲如影隨形，但總統猶四處遊走口無遮攔；「執政成績空白」與「只靠一張嘴」形成了強烈的反諷。當年拿到政權只靠一張嘴，由陳水扁競選搭檔的呂秀蓮親口證實；如今執政也只靠一張嘴，亦由民怨載道的政治現況所證實。陳水扁用一張嘴，寫下了他的執政紀錄。