The DPP's Challenge: To Transform Its Supporters

The DPP's Challenge: To Transform Its Supporters
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
December 24, 2009

Only four days after the DPP's protest march ended peacefully, Taiwan independence movement protests led to violence. A police officer was forcibly shoved off the back of a truck. His head struck the pavement and began bleeding profusely. The DPP leadership promptly expressed concern over the incident. It stressed repeatedly that the instigators of the violence were not DPP members, but that the DPP was willing to assume responsible for their conduct all the same. The DPP made a point of reminding the general public that one must not negate or obscure the protest movement's underlying demands due to an isolated case.
We solemnly urge the DPP to face a harsh reality. The Taiwan independence movement and the Democratic Progressive Party are inseparable. Nobody is ignoring the underlying demands of the DPP or the Taiwan independence movement. But is it really necessary to incite violence in order to arouse public concern? The instigators of the incident were members of "tai wan guo" (The Nation of Taiwan). After posting bail, they said they if they were wrong, they would acknowledge wrongdoing, but they weren't in the wrong. The Republic of China is a nation that protects freedom of expression. Advocacy of reunification and independence both fall under freedom of expression. But one may not express one's political position by inflicting bodily injury upon others. Advocating one's political position, advocating Taiwan independence is a right. Advocating Taiwan independence by inflicting bodily injury upon others is not.

One incident of violence after another have seriously undercut the image of the Taiwan independence movement. When the vast majority of peaceful and rational middle class voters and even DPP members speak of "Deep Green elements," they characterize them as "political extremists" who have trouble controlling what they say and how they behave. Because of this awareness, DPP members are afraid to antagonize them. They want to avoid provoking them, and making the situation even more worse.

Are all Taiwan independence advocates like this? Ever since Fei Hsi-ping and Lin Cheng-chieh left the Democratic Progressive Party, anyone who does not advocate Taiwan independence has found it hard to make a home in the DPP. Which DPP members call for violence? Even those who have left the DPP, such as Shen Fu-hsiung or Shih Ming-teh, are essentially advocates of Taiwan independence. But look at how polite they are in the political arena. Shih Ming-teh is an expert at urging the masses to take to the streets. He led masses against the KMT. He led masses against Chen Shui-bian. But during the month-long "Depose Ah-Bian" protests, there was not a single incident of mobs beating up dissenters, let alone clashing with the police. The fact is that whenever crowds gather, and time drags on, both crowds and police become physically fatigued, emotionally irritable, and incidents can easily erupt. If protests keep popping up everywhere, or follow one around like a shadow, a tiny spark can easily lead to disaster. This is basic knowledge for every leader of a social movement.

The DPP intiated its Sunday protest march. Observers repeatedly warned the DPP to establish a response center and have the maturity to invite the police to participate and maintain order, stressing that this would be a good way to avoid incidents. Who knew that even after the Chiang/Chen Meeting concluded, an incident would occur? The Chiang/Chen Meeting lasted only two days, from preparatory consultations to official signing. On the third day, Chen Yunlin began touring Taiwan and attending banquets. By then, what was there to protest? Yet protesters followed him around all day like a shadow, heckling him. After nightfall, they set off skyrockets, saying that were "bombarding Chen Yunlin." The skyrockets fired high into the air could not reach Chen Yunlin. They could not reach the Yue Yuen Hotel where he was staying. They could only hurt innocent bystanders. Was this really necessary?

Particularly appalling was the attitude of the protesters afterwards. "The policeman was an idiot. I've never seen such a stupid policeman, using his own body to block our vehicles. He fell off the truck, all by himself, and now he wants to blame us?" Why did the policeman block the vehicle with his own body? Because the Ma administration wanted to avoid bloodshed. It wanted to avoid any incidents of excessive force. It ordered police to exercise restraint, and not allow any of the protesters to be harmed. Just two days before the incident, a policeman used pepper spray on protesters who had grabbed him and were pulling him back and forth. He was disciplined and reassigned. The metropolitan police captain who was shoved off the truck and injured was attempting to prevent protesters from firing skyrockets from the back of their truck. He wasn't even carrying a baton. When he fell to the ground and began bleeding, protesters screamed, "The police are beating us!" Fortunately the police were meticulous about collecting forensic evidence. Otherwise the incident would have turned into a case of one policeman's word against the word of a hundred protesters.

The entire country watched television images of a police officer lying on the ground after being forcibly pushed off the back of a vehicle by a mob. They are no longer willing to tolerate acts of violence spun as "freedom of expression." Taichung City Mayor Jason Hu spoke of "over the line." This was considerably more than "over the line." This was simply intolerable. Taichung citizens may tolerate four or five days of sound trucks blaring "Long live the Nation of Taiwan!" But no one can tolerate disregard for law and order. No one can tolerate utter disregard for the lives and well-being of others.

If Deep Green mobs refuse to express their political positions rationally, if they refuse to deal with others peacefully, if they refuse to respect people with different views, the image of the Taiwan independence movement and the DPP can never improve.

The DPP is no longer a guerrilla-like political party clashing with the government in the streets. The DPP is a mature political party. It ruled the nation for eight years. So-called "Deep Green" mobs are the main reason the DPP has been unable to grow since its founding. If the Democratic Progressive Party wants to return to power, it must confront this problem. It must become a responsible political party. It must transform both itself and its supporters.

中時電子報 新聞
中國時報 　2009.12.25
社論－民進黨的習題：帶領支持群眾轉型
本報訊

大遊行才和平落幕四天，獨派嗆陳活動就出事了！一名執勤員警遭抗議群眾推下車，撞得頭破血流。民進黨中央第一時間就表達關切，儘管再次說明肇事民眾非民進黨員，但民進黨願意負責面對。當然，民進黨沒忘記提醒社會大眾：不要因為單一個案，抹殺或模糊民間抗議活動的主題和訴求。

我們必須沉痛的呼籲民進黨，正視獨派與民進黨無法切割的事實。社會大眾沒有人忽略民進黨或獨派抗議的主題與訴求，問題是：有必要一次又一次用製造衝突的方式引起關注嗎？肇事的台灣國成員交保後強調，有錯他會認，但他沒有錯。台灣是言論自由的國家，要統要獨，都屬言論自由，但是，不能以傷害他人的方式，主張自己的政治立場，主張台獨沒有錯，主張台獨卻以行動傷人就是錯。

一次又一次的暴力事件，已經深深傷害獨派形象，對絕大多數和平理性的中間選民、甚至對民進黨人而言，談起他們口中的「深綠群眾」，某種程度就帶著一種「他們是極端政治主張者」，他們的言行舉止難以控制，因為這樣的認知，讓民進黨人都不敢輕易觸其鋒，避免激化他們的情緒，讓事態更失序。

獨派，真的是這樣嗎？自從當年費希平、林正杰等人離開民進黨之後，非獨派就無法自安於民進黨，放眼民進黨人，有哪一個人遇事就喊打喊衝？即使脫離民進黨，沈富雄或施明德，基本上都還是獨派，他們在政治場域裡，多麼有禮貌。施明德從反國民黨到倒扁，帶群眾上街是他的專長，倒扁抗議一個月，沒聽說哪個群眾打人，遑論打警察。但是，群眾聚集，時間拖久了，民眾與警察體能疲憊、情緒焦躁，就容易出事，抗爭活動若搞成遍地開花，或如影隨形，因為小火花而釀成巨禍的機率就必然升高，這是所有帶領社會運動者的基本常識。

這一次，民進黨發動周日大遊行，輿論反覆提醒、警告，民進黨也慎重其事地組成應變中心，並且相當成熟地邀請維持秩序的警方參與，這是避免衝突事端好的開始。沒想到，在江陳正式會談都結束了，還是出事。江陳會從預備磋商到正式簽署，只有兩天，第三天就是陳雲林的遊台與酬酢，有什麼好嗆的呢？就算白天行程要如影隨形跟著嗆，入夜之後有需要施放沖天炮，意淫式地「砲打陳雲林」嗎？一枚枚升空的高空煙火，打不到陳雲林，也打不到陳入住的裕元飯店，只會傷及無辜路人，有必要嗎？

非常可惡的是，群眾肇事後的反應竟是：「那個警察是白痴，我沒看過這麼笨的警察，想以肉身擋車，自已摔下來還想賴給我們…」警察為什麼肉身擋車？因為馬政府避免流血，避免警察「執勤過當」，要求員警注意執勤手段，不能讓民眾受傷！就在出事前兩天，一位員警因為帶了辣椒噴霧器，噴了拉扯他的嗆聲民眾，遭到處分並調離維安勤務。遭民眾推下車而受傷的市刑大小隊長，攔阻施放沖天炮的車子，手上連警棍都沒有，他倒在地上頭破血流的同時，抗議群眾竟還鼓噪著，「警察打人。」若不是這次警察蒐證格外細密謹慎，這次事件，很可能又要讓警方陷入百口莫辯的困境之中。

當全國民眾看到執勤員警遭到民眾用力推下車而倒地的連續畫面，沒有人能再忍受以暴力行為包裝言論自由，這已經不是台中市長胡志強說的「超過邊緣」，而是太超過了；台中市民可以忍受四、五天穿梭街頭的宣傳車，大肆播放的「台灣國萬歲」狂躁音量，卻沒有人可以忍受無視法紀、目無他人的衝突暴力。

如果深綠群眾始終學不會理性表達政治立場，學不會和平對待、並尊重與其意見不同的人士，獨派的形象、民進黨的形象就永遠沒有再提升的可能。

民進黨不是當年衝撞街頭的草莽政黨，民進黨是已經執政過八年的成熟政黨，所謂的深綠群眾從當年到現在，都是讓民進黨成長、讓民進黨受傷的主要因素。民進黨若還想重回執政之路，非得嚴肅面對問題：做一個負責任的政黨，帶領支持群眾和黨一起轉型。