On the Dalai Lama's Visit to Taiwan

On the Dalai Lama's Visit to Taiwan
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
August 28, 2009

Nothing is as urgent as disaster relief. The premier, representing the central government, is currently staying in Kaohsiung. He is keeping a close watch on 8/8 Flood post-disaster reconstruction. Seven DPP administered counties and municipalities in southern Taiwan have held their own reconstruction conference. Fighting for victims' rights and obtaining resources for reconstruction is a righteous cause. Unfortunately the Democratic Progressive Party's conference on reconstruction has been hijacked by election considerations and political interests. The most important conclusion of the conference was not that the central government must provide aid to disaster victims. It was not that the central government must consider local interests. It was that the Dalai Lama, religious leader of Tibet, must be invited to Taiwan to pray for the victims.

DPP county and municipal government heads know perfectly well the disaster victims' religious beliefs. Most Aboriginal tribes believe in the Christian God. Most disaster victims on the flatlands believe in The Dao. Very few disaster victims believe in Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism. Seven DPP county executives and city mayors are Presbyterian Church followers. Not one of them is a follower of Tibetan Buddhism. To invite the Dalai Lama to Taiwan at this moment, and claim that no political considerations are involved, is a joke. Are all seven DPP county executives and city mayors planning to convert to Tibetan Buddhism?

At a moment when disaster relief is desperately needed everywhere, the DPP has the chutzpah to turn disaster relief into a political football. President Ma Ying-jeou politely declined the Dalai Lama's visit last year. But today, up to his neck in flood waters, Ma did not hesitate catching the hot potato the DPP tossed him. The Dalai Lama's visit will be spun as humanitarian and religious. But as Chairman of the Legislative Yuan Wang Jin-pyng put it, "To say that the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan will have no cross-Strait repercussions is nonsense. All we can do at a time like this is hope that the Mainland will show some understanding."

Understanding of what? First of all, the Dalai Lama is coming to Taiwan to pray for the disaster victims and the souls of the dead. His trip will help ease the minds of disaster victims. Secondly, the Ma Liu government was tardy in disaster relief. Its domestic approval rating has taken a serious hit. Its international image is in free fall. The DPP invited the Dalai Lama to Taiwan. The Dalai Lama has stated that he wants to come. He even wrote a personal letter to President Ma Ying-jeou. If the government refuses again, it will come across as unreasonable, and undermine its international image.

The issue of Tibet is undeniably one of Beijing's most sensitive. In recent years, wherever the Dalai Lama goes, national leaders meet with him. Beijing will of course issue harsh warnings, then take concrete measures such as trade retaliation, letting up only when the nation in question retreats. If the Dalai Lama visits Taiwan, and Beijing adopts inconsistent standards and attitudes, it will make it impossible for Beijing to continue its strategy of shutting the Dalai Lama out of the international community. But if it retaliates against Taipei the same way it retaliates against other governments, it will undermine the detente that has taken place over the past year and a half, and the rapid progress made in cross-Strait relations following eight lost years. All the goodwill Beijing has show Taipei will come to naught. Beijing took these factors into consideration when it issued its solemn declaration on the Dalai Lama's visit. It reiterated that it is firmly opposed to the Dalai Lama's visit, in any shape or form." Beijing's criticisms however, were directed against the DPP. It said the DPP's motive was "not disaster relief, but an attempt to undermine hard-won improvements in cross-Strait relations." But it said nothing about the Ma administration, whose public approval ratings have hit bottom, and which approved the Dalai Lama's visit.

Cross-strait relations have been in limbo for eight years, ever since Lee Teng-hui left office and Chen Shui-bian took over. Over the past year or so, cross-Strait mutual trust and goodwill have not been easy to come by. Beijing continues to learn from experience. Whereas it once browbeat Taipei, it now speaks in soft tones. Since the 8/8 Flood the mainland has mobilized the entire nation's resources. It has increased aid to Taiwan, both in materiel and money, from both the cities and the countryside. Almost everyone has become involved. During the Wenchuan Earthquake, the public on Taiwan provided incredibly generous aid to Sichuan earthquake victims. The Mainland was enormously grateful for the aid Taiwan provided during the Wenchuan Earthquake. But when the Mainland attempted to return the favor, the reaction from both the government and public on Taiwan was ice cold. We refused to allow Mainland rescue workers to visit the disaster areas. We dragged our feet, refusing to allow Mainland technicians to come to Taiwan to assemble their prefab housing units. No matter how proud the public on Taiwan may be, we have no right to to adopt such an attitude toward those who have extended us a helping hand.

Mainland China showed overwhelming goodwill toward Taipei. In return it got the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan. Beijing's feeling of betrayal is not hard to imagine. The cross-Strait political climate and environment has changed. Ma Ying-jeou's nod to the Dalai Lama was probably an attempt to prevent his already low public approval ratings from plunging even farther. But a nation's progress is not the same as its leader's approval rating. The Ma administration must make a concerted effort to rebuild cross-Strait trust, by both words and deeds.

The Dalai Lama is an internationally respected religious leader. Since he is coming to Taiwan in the name of humanitarianism, we may as well take him at his word. All activities on Taiwan should be thoroughly de-politicized. This includes political leaders who participate in activities clearly non-religious in nature. This includes the DPP and the Ma Liu government. There is no need whatsoever to make a fuss about whether President Ma Ying-jeou should meet the Dalai Lama. If a prayer session is considered essential to ease the minds of disaster victims, the government has already decided to hold one in September. Every heavyweight Buddhist master on Taiwan will be present. Render unto the Dalai Lama that which is the Dalai Lama's. Unprecedented, hard-won improvements in cross-Strait relations need not and must not be jeopardized merely because the Dalai Lama visited Taiwan.

中時電子報 新聞
中國時報 　2009.08.28
社論－—對達賴訪台的看法珍惜兩岸關係齊為災民祈福
本報訊

萬事莫如救災急，中央由行政院長進駐高雄，天天緊盯八八水災重建進度，民進黨南部七縣市長自行舉辦重建會議，為了爭取災民權益和重建資源，也是對的，偏偏專擅選舉謀略和政治利害考量的民進黨這場重建會議，最重要的結論不是為災民爭取中央沒給的協助，不是提醒中央疏忽的地方權益，而是決定邀請西藏宗教領袖達賴來台，為災民祈福。

民進黨縣市首長理應非常理解災區的宗教信仰，原民部落信仰上帝的多，平地災民信仰道教者眾，正信佛教信眾有限，遑論藏傳佛教。七位民進黨縣市長還有身屬長老教會者，就是沒有藏傳佛教的信徒，此時此刻，力邀達賴來台，說沒有政治考量，那是笑話，難不成七位縣市長都準備改信藏傳佛教？

救災千頭萬緒之際，民進黨就有本事創造出兩岸的政治爭議話題，去年婉謝達賴來訪的馬英九總統焦頭爛額之際，沒猶豫太久就接受了民進黨拋出的燙手山芋，將達賴此行定位人道考量、宗教活動，但誠如立法院長王金平所言，「要說達賴訪台對兩岸不會產生任何效應，是不可能的。只能請大陸在這個時刻多體諒我們。」

體諒什麼呢？第一，達賴來台為災民祈福、為亡靈超渡，對穩定災民與社會之心，確實有作用；第二，馬劉政府為了救災遲緩，民意聲望急遽重挫，國際形象大幅滑落，民進黨既拋出邀請達賴來台，達賴本人也表明希望來台的意願，甚至親自致函馬英九總統，政府若再說不，一不近人情，二也有損於國際形象。

但是，無可諱言，西藏問題是中國最敏感的議題之一，達賴近年行走國際，所到之處，但凡國家領導人與達賴會面者，北京當局必然先祭出嚴厲的言詞警告，接續而來就採取實質的貿易報復，直到相關國家退讓為止。達賴訪台，中國若採取不一致的標準和態度，勢必讓中國無法在國際間繼續執行他對達賴的封鎖策略；但若比照對待其他國家的方式報復台灣，勢必使這一年半多以來和緩、甚至為了彌補失落的八年趕進度恢復的兩岸關係受到重創，而大陸對台灣所有的積極善意，也將前功盡棄。相信這些評估，讓北京方面考量後，對達賴訪台之事做出嚴正的立場聲明，重申「不論什麼身分或形式，堅決反對達賴來台」，但是，北京的矛頭直指民進黨，「不是為救災，而是為了破壞兩岸關係得來不易的良好局面。」但對接受達賴來訪、民意聲望跌到谷底的馬政府，未置一詞。

兩岸關係經歷李登輝末期到扁政府八年，長久的遲滯之後，這一年多來，兩岸培養的互信與善意的確得來不易，北京方面不斷從教訓中累積經驗，對待台灣從過去的聲色俱厲到如今的溫言款語，八八水災迄今，大陸以全國動員規模的用心，展開對台援助，從物資到捐款，從都市到偏鄉，幾乎是人人參與，因為汶川震災，台灣人發揮難以想像的愛援助川震受災者，然而，這段期間來，大陸給台灣的愛心卻遠不如汶川期間台灣得到的回報，從政府到人民，台灣對大陸的愛回應冷漠，既不讓大陸救難人員進入災區，甚至對大陸組合屋組裝人員入台還拖拖拉拉，台灣人再驕傲都不能以如此態度對待伸出援手的朋友。

大陸舖天蓋地的善意，換來的卻是達賴訪台，北京的錯愕可以想像。然而，兩岸政治氣候和環境終究不同，馬英九點頭，不無防止已然低落的民意再下滑的考量；但是，國家發展不能只從個人民意支持度衡量，接續下來，馬政府勢必要花更多心力，包括言詞和具體作為，重建兩岸的互信。

達賴是國際敬重的宗教領袖，既以人道之名來訪，就要名副其實，將入台所有活動的政治性降到零，和政治領袖見面顯然非關宗教活動，不論民進黨或馬劉政府，大可不必在馬英九總統要不要見達賴這件事上做文章，如果祈福法會是安撫災民的重要作為，政府已經決定在九月舉辦，台灣名重山林的法師亦都將出席，達賴的歸達賴，前所未有、得來不易的兩岸關係，不必也不能因為達賴訪台，構成任何變數和意外。