Taiwan Awakes! Baseball and Money-Laundering

Taiwan Awakes! Baseball and Money-Laundering
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
August 18, 2008

On the afternoon of August 15, thunder and lightning danced in the skies above Taipei. In Beijing, the Chinese Taipei baseball team lost to the China team, 7 to 8. In Taipei, as a result of the international money-laundering scandal, Chen Shui-bian announced his resignation from the DPP. The press referred to the baseball loss as a "national day of mourning." It referred to the exposure of the money laundering scandal as a "national day of shame." That day was July 15 on the lunar calendar, the day of the Ghost Festival.

Baseball and democracy are two things Taiwan is most proud of. They are two pillars of mainstream consciousness on Taiwan. But on August 15, Black Friday, lightning crackled in the skies above Taipei. In sports we endured a "national day of mourning." In politics we endured a "national day of shame." Perhaps the timing was merely a coincidence. Nevertheless it sent everyone on Taiwan an alarming message.

Baseball is the national sport. That is not to say that Taiwan is invincible in baseball. But baseball now runs through every ROC citizen's veins. At least three generations on Taiwan have been baseball fans, beginning with the Red Leaf Little League, all the way up to Wang Chien-ming. Baseball developed at a time when Taiwan was relatively poor. Today baseball is an important element in the public consciousness.

Last Friday however, the Chinese Taipei team "actually" (That is how many of the media described it) lost to the China team. The media said this was a game the Chinese Taipei team could not afford to lose, but lost nonetheless. It could not afford to lose for three reasons: One. It would lose at the Olympics. Two. It would lose in Beijing. Three. It would lose to the China team. Before this, the Chinese Taipei team considered itself more advanced than the China team. It felt that losing a single game didn't necessarily mean that the Chinese Taipei team had fallen behind the China team. But losing this particular game seriously wounded "Taiwanese" pride and feelings of superiority. Especially since the Chinese Taipei team is currently one for four.

Democracy is "Taiwan's" pride. So-called "Son of Taiwan" Chen Shui-bian once boasted that he was the heir to 400 years of native Taiwanese tradition. Today however, he stands accused of corruption. His family's greed and corruption have undermined the nation's values. It is no exaggeration to say that their crimes are too numerous to list. Chen Shui-bian resigned from the party during the Ghost Festival. But Taiwan remains trapped in the political hell he and the DPP meticulously created.

The Taiwan independence movement has used democracy to undermine national identity, and to disown the Republic of China. But it has been unable to create a "Nation of Taiwan." The Taiwan independence movement has used democracy to tear apart the community, to claim that "I love Taiwan," but that "You are a traitor to Taiwan." Those who dissented have been told to jump into the Pacific Ocean. Democracy has been reduced to cutthroat election campaigns. Plebiscites have been reduced to tools for hijacking elections. Cross-Strait issues have been used to herd the public toward a populist dead end -- a Closed Door Policy. Diplomacy has been reduced to playing Washington for a fool. Government has been reduced to a hotbed of endless corruption and scandals.

Chen Shui-bian is an icon. He represents more than Chen Shui-bian the man. This erstwhile spokesman for "Taiwan's" democracy. was the Joshua of "Taiwan's" democracy. Chen Shui-bian's resignation from the DPP, represents his personal karma. But he also gravely wounded the DPP, which supported him and and abetted his corruption. He burst the bubble of "Taiwan's" democracy. Who can bear to watch as six decades of struggle on behalf of "Taiwan's" democracy produced such a "paragon of democracy" as Chen Shui-bian?

The baseball loss to the China team is a warning. The consensus regarding this loss is that the China team has improved, and that it was not a matter of luck. In other words, the Chinese Taipei baseball team, despite improvements, has failed to maintain its lead over the China team. Actually the dynamics of cross-Strait baseball reveal the changes on Taiwan during the 20 years since the lifting of martial law, and the changes on the mainland during the 30 years since economic reform and political liberalization. A ball is round. The cross-strait scenario is round. The global scenario is also round. Will the public on Taiwan awaken to this fact?

The degeneration of "Taiwan's" democracy is even more alarming. Chen Shui-bian once said that "democracy recognizes no taboos." But should "Taiwan's" democracy violate the taboo of national identity? Taiwan independence advocates never seem to tire of demeaning the Republic of China. But does that equate with the establishment of a "Nation of Taiwan?" Should "Taiwan's" democracy violate the taboo against dividing people along "ethnic" lines? We are all in the same boat. Who should be driven headlong into the Pacific Ocean? Should "Taiwan's" democracy violate the taboo against political corruption? President Chen used a fictitous "Southern Front Project" as a pretext to embezzle public funds. The National Security Bureau used diplomacy and arms procurment as pretexts to enrich Chen's wallet. The entire government has attracted the world's attention as an insatiably greedy den of thieves. Is not such a democracy squarely on the road to national perdition? When will the public on Taiwan awaken from its stupor?

Balls are round. One's opponents may be progressing. One's own progress may be inadequate. Democracy is also round, Democracy enables humanity to progress. But it can also enable a nation to perish. The world is round. Will Taiwan move toward the center, or toward the margins? Some say that August 15 was a "national day of mourning." Some say it was a "national day of shame." The public on Taiwan must be vigilant. The public on Taiwan must wake up.

台灣警醒！棒球輸大陸與陳水扁洗錢
【聯合報╱社論】
2008.08.19 04:01 am

八月十五日午後，台北上空雷電交加。在北京，台灣棒球隊以七比八輸給中國隊；在台北，陳水扁因涉及國際洗錢醜聞，宣布退出民進黨。新聞界用「國殤」形容輸球，用「國恥」形容洗錢。當天，正巧是農曆七月十五日中元節。

棒球與民主是台灣最感自豪的兩大元素，也是台灣主體意識的兩大支柱；但在八月十五日這個台北雷電交加的黑色星期五，棒球傳出「國殤」，同日民主發生「國恥」。這也許只是日子巧合，卻也傳遞出足令所有台灣人深省與警醒的訊息。

棒球是國球。這並不是說台灣棒球所向無敵，而是棒球已經滲透每一個台灣人的血液。台灣至少有三代人，從瘋紅葉少棒，至迷醉王建民；棒球自台灣相當貧弱的年代發跡，如今棒球已是台灣主體意識的重要元素。

然而，上個星期五，台灣隊「竟然」（這是許多媒體的口氣）輸給了中國隊。媒體說，這是最不能輸的一場，卻輸掉了。因為：一、輸在奧運；二、輸在北京；三、輸給中國隊。在此以前，台灣自認至少在棒球上較中國「先進」，且輸一場球並不能證明台灣棒球實力已落後於中國，但輸了這一場球畢竟重傷了台灣的優越感與自豪感。何況，賽程進行至今，台灣已是一勝四敗。

民主更是台灣的驕傲。然而，曾經標榜台灣四百年本土傳承的「台灣之子」陳水扁，如今不但已是貪汙被告，且其全家貪腐的情節，與敗壞國家的罪孽，毫不誇張地說，已至罄竹難書的地步。陳水扁在中元節退黨，但台灣卻仍陷在他與民進黨所精心營造的政治煉獄之中。

民主被用來摧毀國家認同，否棄了中華民國，卻扶不起台灣國；民主被用以撕裂社會，我是愛台，你是賣台，異議者都該去跳太平洋！民主簡化成選舉割喉戰，公投化作挾持選舉的工具，兩岸議題走入民粹鎖國的死巷，外交把美國當成猴子來耍，政府則成為貪汙腐敗、弊案頻爆的罪惡淵藪……。

「陳水扁」這個符號，不止是「陳水扁」而已；他曾是台灣民主的代言人，亦是台灣民主的約書亞。陳水扁退黨，在他個人只是因果報應，但也同時重傷了「挺扁護貪」的民進黨，且不啻是台灣民主憧憬的一次大破滅。誰忍見此，台灣六十餘年的民主努力，竟然造就出陳水扁這樣一個「民主典範」？

棒球輸中國是一警訊。此次輸球，共同的評論是中國隊有進步，贏得並不僥倖；換句話說，也就是台灣棒球隊在中國隊進步時，未能保持相對的優勢。其實，從兩岸棒球的消長，亦可綜觀台灣解嚴後二十年及中國改革開放後三十年的總體消長變化。球是圓的，兩岸情勢也是圓的，世界情勢也是圓的，台灣能不警醒？

台灣民主的沉淪則是更大的警訊。陳水扁說，民主無紅線。但台灣的民主要不要衝破國家認同的紅線？一天到晚羞辱中華民國，是否即能成就台灣國？台灣的民主要不要撕破族群共生的紅線？既是同舟一命，誰應被趕進太平洋？台灣的民主應不應護守政治清廉的紅線？且看：總統用「南線專案」詐領公帑，國安當局利用外交、軍購名目斂財，整個政府觸目皆是「好財貪墨之輩」……。這樣的民主是否正是亡國亡台之路！台灣人能不警醒？

球是圓的，對手可能會進步，自己的進步有可能不夠多；民主也是圓的，民主可使人性向上提升，也可使國家向下沉淪；世界也是圓的，台灣是轉向中心，或轉到邊緣？八月十五日，有人說是棒球的「國殤日」，又是民主的「國恥日」。台灣必須警醒，台灣人必須警醒！