United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
April 28, 2016
Executive Summary: Taiwan is a long way from the Arctic Circle. But each time the DPP comes to power, it contracts Arctic Hysteria. It forgets everything it said or did when it was in the opposition. That includes everything it said or did regarding the Cross-Strait Agreements Oversight Regulations, US pork imports, electricity rates, and foreign diplomacy. The symptoms are clear and unmistakable. Arctic Hysteria may not be fatal. But "yesterday's truth is today's lie” has consequences. Little by little, it has eroded Taiwan's political conscience, and led to Taiwan's loss of international competitiveness.
Full Text Below:
in his book "South of the Border, West of the Sun", Japanese author Haruki Murakami mentions “Arctic Hysteria”. This is a disease peculiar to the Arctic circle, allegedly caused by a long-term calcium deficiency. During its onset, the patient is indifferent to his surroundings. Sometimes he is loud. At other times he is lethargic. Patients often awaken with no memory of what took place before.
Taiwan is a long way from the Arctic Circle. But each time the DPP comes to power, it contracts Arctic Hysteria. It forgets everything it said or did when it was in the opposition. That includes everything it said or did regarding the Cross-Strait Agreements Oversight Regulations, US pork imports, electricity rates, and foreign diplomacy. The symptoms are clear and unmistakable.
Seven years ago, the Ma government could not resist US pressure. It conditionally allowed US beef imports in accordance with international standards, i.e., the Codex. DPP legislator Chen Ting-fei denounced the Ma government for "having no conscience". Lin Shu-fen denounced the Ma government for “inviting the wolf into our home”. She accused Minister of Health and Welfare Huang Jiang-bing of being an "asshole minister". Today however, COA chairman to be Tsao Chi-hung has changed his tune. He argued that even Japan and South Korea could not stand up to US pressure to allow pork imports. How could Taiwan? This flagrant about face forced Chen Ting-fei to change her tune. She rushed to say that the DPP has no concerns about the safety of US pork. Lin Shu-fen meanwhile, hemmed and hawed, at a loss for words. For the DPP, yesterday's truth is today's lie.
Last year the Sheng Feng 12, a Taiwanese fishing vessel registered in Okinawa, strayed into Philippine waters. It was impounded and the owners fined 100,000 USD. The charge was “poaching”. DPP legislator Chuang Jui-hsiung challenged the Philippines' unilateral allegations. He demanded that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs protest, and not let the Philippines say and do whatever it wanted, otherwise people "would find it intolerable". Chuang Jui-hsiung resorted to mockery. He joked that the legislature would no longer provide budgets for vessels, but only for ransoms. Less than a year later however, the Japanese seize the Dong Shen Ji 16 fishing vessel in open waters off the Chong Zi Niao Reef. Chuang Jui-hsiung now meekly insists that if Japan claims we trespassed on her Exclusive Economic Zone, we are hardly in a position to argue.
But did the Dong Sheng Ji 16 trespass upon Japan's EEZ? Chong Zi Niao Reef is Japan's southernmost reef. It is a mere 9 sm in area. At the very most, Japan can claim 12 nautical miles of territorial waters. Instead, Japan claims a 200 nautical mile EEZ. This is a fundamental violation of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. UNCLOS stipulates that only islands, not reefs, have EEZs. The DPP is about to become the ruling party. It insists that Japan is Taiwan's friend. Confronted with Japan's abusive treatment, it does not even dare to complain. With such an attitude, how can it fight for the rights of fishermen? How can it fight for the dignity of our nation? Is this attitude not a reflection of the DPP's "Japan Worship Syndrome"?
These two examples are hardly all. The DPP changed the Cross-Strait Agreements Oversight Regulations, from the "two states theory" version before the election, to the "two sides" version after the election. It changed its policy from “no increase” in electricity rates before the election, to demanding that the Ma government “not cut rates” after the election. Wherever one looks, the DPP exhibits clear symptoms of Arctic Hysteria. The DPP did not contract the disease because of a calcium deficiency however. It contracted the disease as a result of political and ideological zealotry. The DPP has lost touch with its professed values, and winds up contradicting itself. Upon awakening, its drunken rants become the standard by which the public judges them.
When the Dong Sheng Ji 16 was impounded, green camp legislator Huang Wei-che not only failed to defend our national sovereignty, he made excuses for Japan. He claimed that Japan “gave the Ma government a slap in the face". This green camp groveling before Japan reveals its indifference to national dignity, the rights of our fishermen, and the interests of our nation. All that remains is seething hatred for political enemies. If this attitude persists, DPP pandering to Japan will become the people of Taiwan's biggest nightmare.
The recent TV drama series "Descendants of the Sun", has inspired a wave of patriotism in South Korea. Young people greet each other by discussing national unity and patriotism. South Korea was once divided by serious geopolitical controversy. But today ruling and opposition forces agree on foreign policy. They present a united front to outsiders. On Taiwan by contrast, political parties are selfish. The ruling and opposition parties bicker endlessly over domestic, cross-Strait, and international policy. They deliberately place obstacles in each others' path. This may be why South Korea has undergone a swift rise, while Taiwan continues to spin its wheels.
Arctic Hysteria may not be fatal. But "yesterday's truth is today's lie” has consequences. Little by little, it has eroded Taiwan's political conscience, and led to Taiwan's loss of international competitiveness.
民進黨的「西伯利亞症候群」
2016-04-28 聯合報
日本作家村上春樹在他的《國境之南，太陽之西》一書中，曾描述一種好發於北極圈地區的「西伯利亞症候群」（Arctic hysteria），據說是因為長期缺鈣所引起。這種病症發作時，病人會對周遭的環境漠不關心，有時大聲咆哮，有時昏睡不醒；這種病人的共通特性就是，醒來之後會忘卻先前發生過的事。
台灣距離北極甚遠，但時值政權輪替期間，這種經常遺忘昨日之我的「西伯利亞症候群」，卻接二連三發生在即將執政的民進黨身上。從兩岸監督條例、美豬、電價和外交議題，都可以看到症候發作的跡象。
七年前馬政府抵擋不了美國壓力，決定根據國際標準（Codex）有條件開放美牛進口，當時民進黨立委陳亭妃痛批馬政府「沒有良心」，林淑芬更斥責馬政府引狼入室，罵衛福部長蔣丙煌是「混蛋部長」。而今，準農委會主委曹啟鴻改口說，連日韓都抵擋不住美豬叩關，台灣有能耐不接受嗎？面對這樣的政策大轉彎，陳亭妃立刻改口說要讓人民知道美豬沒有安全疑慮；林淑芬則一度支支吾吾，不知如何以對。民進黨的昨是今非，由此可見。
我國琉球籍漁船「昇豐十二號」去年誤闖菲律賓海域，遭該國扣押，並以「盜漁」的罪名處以十萬美元的罰鍰。當時民進黨立委莊瑞雄質疑菲國片面指控我國漁船盜漁，要求外交部強烈交涉，不能讓對方予取予求，否則國人「吞不下去」。莊瑞雄還嘲諷說，將來立法院不用編列船艦預算，只要編列「贖金」即可。時隔不到一年，屏東漁船「東聖吉十六號」在沖之鳥礁外海遭日本公務船無理扣押，莊瑞雄卻低姿態地說，日本說我們的漁船擅闖其經濟海域，不能和日本硬碰硬。
問題是，「東聖吉十六號」真的擅闖日本經濟海域嗎？位於日本國境之南的沖之鳥礁，是加起來不過九平方公尺的小島礁，頂多擁有十二浬領海，但日本卻大剌剌劃上兩百浬的經濟海域，這根本違反了一九八二年「聯合國海洋法公約」規定的只有島嶼才能擁有經濟海域的原則。對日本政府的鴨霸做法，即將執政且號稱日本關係良好的民進黨非但不據理力爭，反而一片噤若寒蟬；這種態度，如何為漁民爭取權益，為國家爭取尊嚴？如此低調，難道是民進黨的「恐日症候群」？
除了上述兩個例子，民進黨在《兩岸協議監督條例》草案從「兩國論」轉為「兩岸」，對於電價則從選前宣稱「不漲」到選後轉為要求馬政府「勿降」，處處均可看到民進黨「西伯利亞症候群」的癥狀。民進黨之病，當然並非由於缺鈣，而是因為在野時過度的政治操作及意識形態作祟，而失去了政治價值及自我認知的一致性。也因此，在醒來之後，他們先前的醉言醉語便成為人民檢驗其執政的標準。
在「東聖吉十六號」扣押事件中，綠委黃偉哲不但不維護國家主權，反而替日本說話，說此舉是日本「打臉馬政府」。這種媚日論調，足見其眼中沒有國格，沒有漁民，沒有國家利益，只有政治仇恨。這樣的心態如果不改，五二○之後，民進黨對日本的姑息與諂媚，恐將成為台灣人民的一大夢魘。
最近韓劇「太陽的後裔」在韓國掀起一片愛國風，團結、愛國成為時下年輕人最夯的問候語。韓國過去因地域政治對立嚴重，但如今在對外問題上，朝野口徑一致，團結對外。反觀台灣，在政黨私心的操作下，朝野不但為國內議題爭吵不休，在兩岸政策及國際外交上更處處對立，互扯後腿。兩相對照，韓國這些年能快速崛起，而台灣卻一直在原地踏步，這應是一大原因。
「西伯利亞症候群」也許不是一種致命的病，但是它所產生「昨是今非」的後遺症，卻一點一滴地吞噬台灣的政治良知，也拖垮台灣的國際競爭力。
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