Yeh Chin-chuan's Tears vs. the Youth Corps Member's Lap Dog

Yeh Chin-chuan's Tears vs. the Youth Corps Member's Lap Dog
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
May 21, 2009

Yeh Chin-chuan wept. Why he wept involves a complex political tale. But the plot of this complex political tale that unfolded in Geneva is actually quite simple. It was merely a noisy debate between two political groups.

One Huang Hai-ning and several other students organized a heckling team. They interrupted a dinner in Geneva hosted by Yeh Chin-chuan for the Ministers of Health of allied nations. They harangued Yeh Chin-chuan, demanding to know, "Under what name are you participating in the WHA?" Behind this rhetorical question however, was a prescripted agenda. Yeh must use the name "Republic of China" or "Taiwan" when participating in the WHA, otherwise he is "selling out Taiwan." That is why Huang continually screamed, "Yeh Chin-chuan, don't sell out Taiwan!" Yeh Chin-chuan was eventually driven to tears by her accusations.

Huang Hai-ning and others offered no logical arguments. They were perhaps adopting an all or nothing, do or die stance regarding participation in WHO activities. Failure to join using the official name of the nation constituted a national humiliation. It meant loss and defeat, even betrayal. The tune sung by Huang Hai-ning and others was full of solemnity and pathos. She was a former DPP Youth Corps member and the daughter of a retired DPP party worker.

Meanwhile, Yeh Chin-chuan was playing a different tune. He provided a dramatic counterpoint to Huang Hai-ning. He offered an entirely different logic. He adopted a low-keyed approach. His reasoning was that it is not necessary to join using the official name of the nation. After one has joined, the meaning of one's nation will become clear enough. Only then will one have the opportunity to proclaim what one is. Only then can one look forward to achieving one's goal.

Two entirely different ways of thinking collided in Geneva. It wasn't really a debate. It was merely a one-sided shouting of verbal abuse. But this is a serious topic worthy of serious thought. It should not be concluded amidst the smoke and confusion of whether to file a complaint and whether to step down. If it is given serious thought, then Yeh Chin-chuan's tears will not be wasted. Whereas the Youth Corps member's travel expenses from France to Switzerland will be.

These Youth Corps members' tune is something even Chen Shui-bian never took seriously. Chen Shui-bian once threatened to push for a "plebiscite on WHO membership." But he never followed through. Last year, he sent a letter to WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan, demanding "admission to the WHO in the name of Taiwan," and participation in WHO activities as an observer. Both of Chen Shui-bian's registered letters were eventually returned, unread. These lap dog wielding Youth Corps members, couldn't achieve anything more than Chen Shui-bian. Perhaps they were merely putting on a show. Perhaps they were making what they knew to be impossible demands upon Yeh Chin-chuan, demanding that he do what the Democratic Progressive Party couldn't do.

The interaction between the two groups was not a genuine debate. It was merely political theater, staged for domestic consumption. Its real significance was revealed the next day, during staged protests. Yeh Chin-chuan sat in the World Health Assembly as an official observer. Mainland Chinese Minister of Health Chen Zhu walked over to Yeh Chin-chuan, and was introduced. Yeh Chin-chuan and Chen Zhu greeted each other and conversed. The two men bridged a thirty-eight year gap, and made history.

Yeh Chin-chuan's four-minute speech received a full minute of applause. The scene carried real weight. In 1971 the United Nations General Assembly, at Albania's behest, adopted UN Resolution 2758, expelling Taipei from the United Nations, and replacing it with Beijing. Thirty-eight years later, Republic of China officials met for the first time with officials of the other side, at the same time, in the same room, inside a UN organization. Both sides used official titles while addressing each other. The scene was loaded with historical and political significance. If it turns out to be no match for a handful of noisy Youth Corps members, is that not Taiwan's loss?

Twice Chen Shui-bian sent letters applying for WHO membership. Twice they were returned. If they hadn't been, the first Director of Health to become a WHA observer might have been Twu Shing-Jer, instead of Yeh Chin-chuan. If Twu Shing-Jer had attended the WHA under the name of "Chinese Taipei," would the Youth Corps member armed with her lap dog still have rushed fto Geneva from Paris to heckle him?

If Twu Shing-Jer were still President Chen Shui-bian's Director of Health, would Twu Shing-Jer say that the new strain of influenza is best gift he could give President Chen Shui-bian? Six years ago, when Twu Shing-Jer was Director of Health, the public never heard him say SARS was a gift for President Chen Shui-bian.

The Youth Corps member asserted that Yeh Chin-chuan and Taiwan had been humiliated. But we hardly need Youth Corps members to remind us of that. Most of the public on Taiwan is aware of the humiliation involved in attending the WHA under the name "Chinese Taipei." Our nation is near suffocation. Yeh Chin-chuan wants to give it a chance to take a deep breath. Yet these Youth Corps members accuse him of enduring humiliation merely for the sake of survival. In the debate over national identity, haven't these always been the two views?

葉金川的眼淚與青年軍的寵物狗
【聯合報╱社論】
2009.05.21 05:18 am

葉金川臉龐滾下的淚，註解了讓他落淚的這道政治習題有多麼複雜難解；但這所謂難解的政治習題在日內瓦所呈現的語法卻很簡單清澈，它其實就是兩組政治賦格曲的詰辯，只是辯得十分聒譟嘈雜。

以女子黃海寧等幾名留學生組成的嗆聲隊伍，直搗日內瓦葉金川宴請友邦衛生部長的晚宴，對葉金川疾言厲色地質問，「用什麼身分參加世衛大會」？不必回答的這道題目背後，有一個早已設定好的標準：要用「中華民國」或「台灣」國家名義加入，否則即是賣台。於是，女子不斷叫嚷著「葉金川不要賣台」，而葉金川終為「賣台」的指控落淚。

黃海寧等人未述盡的命題邏輯，或許就是必以完整的國家姿態參加世衛，否則寧死不入。不以完整國家姿態加入，即是屈辱、折損與挫敗，甚至是背叛。這是黃海寧等人的賦格曲，曲式悲壯而高亢。何況，她有民進黨退職黨工及青年軍的背景。

但是，另一組賦格曲，即葉金川所彈奏者，卻是黃海寧等的對照，恰是完全不同的理路，它走的是低迴的路線，它的理路是：不必然以完全的國家姿態進入，但進入之後，國家的意涵方能顯現，而先有顯現，才能爭取表白的空間，有了表白的空間才有盼望，有了盼望才有趨近目標之可能。

兩組邏輯思路全然相悖的弦音，在日內瓦火爆對辯，甚至沒有真的對辯，而只是叫嚷與謾罵。然而，這畢竟是一件嚴肅而應認真思考的議題，不應在提告與否、下台與否的紛陳煙幕中，竟然就告結束；若如此，葉金川的英雄淚豈非白彈，而青年軍由法國兼程趕到瑞士的旅費亦是虛擲。

事實上，青年軍的曲式甚至連陳水扁都不曾真的演奏，陳水扁雖曾揚言要「全民公投入世衛」，卻未真做，去年致函世衛組織幹事長陳馮富珍提出「台灣名義入世衛案」，卻實際上是輔助一個台灣做為觀察員的備案。而陳水扁的親函終被雙掛號退回。因此手上抱著寵物狗的青年軍，是以一個陳水扁也並不可能真做，或是以表演性質假做的高難度要求，加之於葉金川身上，要葉承擔民進黨執政時亦未能執行的路線。

這裡即可看出，兩組賦格曲的詰辯並不真實存在，只不過是出口又回銷台灣內部的政治鬥爭而已。真正呈現意義的，卻是嗆聲隔日上演的，葉金川在世界衛生大會中以觀察員的身分坐在正式的席位上，而加碼的劇情則是，中國的衛生部長陳竺親自走到葉金川的身旁，由第三人介紹葉的正式官銜給陳，而陳竺與葉金川問候交談。葉金川與陳竺跨越了這一道三十八年的鴻溝，創造了歷史。

葉金川致詞四分鐘，會場掌聲一分鐘；這個場景才具有真實的重量。這是中華民國政府官員自一九七一年聯合國大會通過阿爾巴尼亞提案，作成二七五八號「排我納匪」決議案的三十八年後，兩岸官員首次在聯合國的專門組織機構內同時與會，並且彼此不避諱以正式官銜互動交語，這樣具有歷史與政治意涵的場景，如若竟然敵不過幾個青年軍的一陣喧囂，寧非台灣真正的悲哀？

倘若陳水扁二度寄交ＷＨＯ的入會申請函未被退回，第一個坐上ＷＨＡ觀察員席位的衛生署長可能就是涂醒哲，而不是葉金川。而若是涂醒哲以「中華台北」的名義坐進了ＷＨＡ的會場，會不會有一名手抱寵物狗的青年軍從巴黎趕往日內瓦嗆聲鬧場？

正如，倘若今日仍是涂醒哲擔任陳水扁總統的衛生署長，涂醒哲會說首例新流感是送給陳水扁總統的最佳禮物嗎？至少，在六年前涂醒哲任衛生署長時，國人未曾聽見他說ＳＡＲＳ是送給陳水扁總統的禮物。

青年軍是在凸顯葉金川與台灣的屈辱，但不用青年軍的提示，大多數的台灣人皆知台灣是在高度屈辱中以「中華台北」的名義坐進ＷＨＡ。葉金川要的是國家從窒息的國際汪洋中冒出頭吸口氣，但青年軍卻認為他泅水求生的姿態太過屈辱。對於國家認同的辯論，從來都是這兩種相對的觀點，難道不是嗎？