Two Sides Separated Not by Distance, But by Human Rights

Two Sides Separated Not by Distance, But by Human Rights
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
May 4, 2011

The two sides of the Taiwan Strait are separated by a number of barriers. The most obvious are geographical distance, regime differences, and sovereignty disputes. But in fact, the deepest difference between the two sides is their degree of development. President Ma Ying-jeou said that "we measure the difference between the two sides by human rights." This accurately describes the gap that separates the two sides. This gap is what the two sides must attempt to bridge.

During an interview with the German magazine "Der Spiegel," President Ma said that over the past 30 thirty years the Mainland has significantly improved the peoples' economic circumstances. But in terms of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, it had considerable room for improvement. Mainland China has become the world's second largest economy. It must appreciate its place in the world. It must promote reform in these four areas. He stressed that one of the criteria used to gauge the difference between the two sides, is human rights. He said that sooner or later, the Mainland will have to take the road to democracy, and become freer than it is currently,

This passage underscores why the two sides often find themselves at loggerheads with each other. It underscores why the Mainland authorities find it so hard to win the trust of the public on Taiwan. The two sides need no longer "kill or be killed." Tense disputes over sovereign territory have been shelved. At the macro level, the two sides have undergone very different experiences. They have taken very different paths, and developed in very different directions. Although the two sides share the same language and same heritage, they hold very different collective values and evince very different personalities. As a result, they are often unable to understand each other, and tolerate the other's point of view.

Consider the world as a whole. Civilization often develops along different paths. But freedom, democracy, equality, and natural rights are universal values. They have become universal beliefs, pursued by everyone the world over. Monarchies, theocracies, and autocracies were once taken for granted. Now, one by one, they have all been washed away by a wave of human rights. Even authoritarian governments feel the need for rubber-stamp parliaments and elections to legitimize their rule. Consider the development of human civilization. It evolved from tribes, to kingdoms, to democratic republics. The world is steadily advancing toward greater human rights. People have gradually come to believe that they are equal and possess fundamental and inalienable rights. They have gradually come to believe that they deserve to be treated with dignity, and must respect the dignity of others. They have gradually come to believe that in order to fully protect human rights, they must establish liberal democracies.

This is the path of human civilization. It is shared by all. It is not the exclusive franchise of any one nation. The development of democracy and freedom require certain conditions. These are often difficult to come by. Therefore progress along this path does not necessarily mean that a particular nation or a particular people are inherently superior. It merely means that the road is long and difficult. Many difficulties must be overcome. Mainland China is no exception. It will have to find its own way to democracy.

In fact, after years of stability and prosperity, Mainland China now has a sufficiently secure social foundation. This will provide the soil for the further growth of democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. During a nation's early stages of economic development, the public usually wants to maintain the status quo. But gradually, more and more people will demand greater respect for human rights. They will seek political power in order to protect their rights and interests. This is particularly true following the spread of the Internet. The only exception would be a hermetically sealed nation such as North Korea. Otherwise no modern society can successfully close itself off from the rest of the world. Even long-lasting authoritarian regimes in North Africa and the Middle East have been consumed by the flames of the Jasmine Revolution. Mainland China's transformation has already begun.

A society that respects human rights may not arbitrarily deprive an individual of his freedom and rights. It must adhere to a legal process. It must adhere to a judicial process. A democratic nation such as the Republic of China has no ruler. Citizens, each citizen, is the master of the nation. They are their own masters. Every four years, they choose who will be govern the nation. They are akin to business owners who appoint managers. If the business manager performs poorly, they replace them. Such people have an intense sense of self-esteem. They will staunchly defend their rights. They will not accept being ruled from someone on high.

Therefore, cross-Strait relations must not be about who annexes whom. They must not be about who rules whom. Instead, each side should proceed in its own way. Together they should proceed in a direction favorable to the welfare of the people, and the progress of the nation. Freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law must be allowed to gain strength. This will close the the gap between the two sides. As this gap is closed, hostility and mistrust between people will diminish.

If Mainland China proceeds with political reform and strengthens human rights, cross-Strait relations will improve. National development will also reach new levels. People will be treated with greater dignity. This is the sort of vision that a responsible and courageous leader must contemplate and adopt.

距離不在兩岸 而在人權
2011-05-04 中國時報

兩岸之間的差距，表面上最明顯的是地理的隔閡、政權的差異乃至主權的爭議，其實更深層的，是在國家發展進度上的距離。馬英九總統「人權是衡量兩岸距離的標準」之言，準確說明了兩岸隔閡的根源以及有待努力的方向。

馬總統在接受德國《明鏡周刊》專訪時表示，中國大陸這卅年來在經濟生活上有很大改進，但在自由、民主、法治與人權上，還有許多可以再改進的空間。中國大陸已成為世界第二大經濟體，應該體會自己在世界的地位，在這四個方向推動改革。他強調，衡量兩岸之間距離的標準之一，就是「人權」，並認為中國大陸遲早會走向一個比現在更自由、民主的道路。

這段話，清楚點出了兩岸之間何以經常在有些事情上格格不入、何以中國大陸發現贏取台灣民眾信任的速度如此緩慢。跳脫過去曾經你死我活、現在暫緩劍拔弩張的主權領土爭議，從宏觀的角度看，兩岸雙方在文明發展的方向與進展以及六十年來的成長經驗上，先就有了非常基本的差異，以致於雙方雖然同文同種，其實價值觀與集體性格都有很大不同，而且因為無法理解對方以致難以體諒包容。

放眼世界，在文明的發展歷程上，雖然型態與路徑各異，但基本上，自由、民主、平等、天賦人權等普世價值，的確逐漸成為世人所相信及追求的信念。君權、神權、極權曾經被視為理所當然，現在卻一一被人權浪潮沖垮。即使是集權國家，多少也得弄個橡皮圖章的國會或選舉來粉飾一下。就人類文明的發展而言，從部落、王國到民主共和，這個世界的確逐漸向著人權價值前進。因為相信人擁有平等且不容被侵犯的基本價值，因此逐漸認識了自己的尊嚴與權利，也學習去尊重別人的尊嚴與權利，從而建立起能夠全面維護人權的民主自由體制。

這是人類文明發展共同的道路，不是哪一國的特產。民主自由的發展需要許多條件的澆灌，其間往往困難重重，因此在這條道路上的進度，並不代表這個國家或民族的優劣，只是其路途比較漫長曲折，需要克服各自不同的困難。中國大陸不會是個例外，只是會以自己的方式，走出自己的民主道路與模式。

事實上，經過了多年的安定發展，中國大陸有足夠的社會基礎，作為進一步實現民主、自由、人權與法治的土壤。在國家富足成長的初期，民眾通常會希望維持現狀，但逐漸地，將有愈來愈多人開始要求更多的人權，以及取得政治權力以保護自己權益的機會。尤其在網路的穿透下，除非是圍得像鐵桶一樣的北韓，否則現代社會已經很難再自閉於時代開放潮流了，即使是長期集權統治的北非和中東，也在「茉莉花革命」下掀起自由之火，中國大陸走向開放的步伐，其實已經開始了。

在一個尊重人權的社會，沒有經過擁有民意背書的立法程序，沒有合法的司法裁決，不能任意剝奪人的自由與權利。像台灣這樣的民主國家，是沒有統治者的，人民─每個人民─就是國家的主人，也就是自己的主人。然後，每四年一次，我們重新選擇由誰來負責治理國家，就像老闆選經理一樣，做不好就換人。這樣的人民擁有強大的自尊，而且會全力捍衛，不會接受誰居高臨下來統治。

因此，兩岸關係的發展，應該不是誰併吞誰、誰來統治誰的角力爭奪，而是在各自不同的道路上，一起朝著對人民福祉及國家進步有利的方向前進。隨著自由、民主、人權與法治的逐漸成長茁壯，相信兩岸之間的差距，也會隨之拉近，隔閡人民的敵意與不信任可望消減。

一個以穩定步伐進行政治改革、強化人權法治的中國，不但能對兩岸關係作根本性的改善，更將讓國家發展躍進到另一個新的層次，讓人民得到更大的尊嚴。這樣的願景，是一個負責任的執政者應該審慎思考並勇敢承擔的課題。