Lin Tzou-yien “Sells Out Taiwan” -- Just Like Yeh Chin-chuan Before Him

Lin Tzou-yien “Sells Out Taiwan” -- Just Like Yeh Chin-chuan Before Him
United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation 
May 11, 2016

Executive Summary: Yeh Chin-chuan was heckled in Geneva seven years ago for "selling out Taiwan". Lin Tzou-yien is now proceeding down the same path. We hope his journey is without incident. For the people of Taiwan, this is a lesson learned over seven long years. Scurrilous accusations of "selling out Taiwan" will merely blow back on those who known only how to shout empty slogans, and nothing about taking real action.

Full Text Below:

In May 2009, Minister of Health Yeh Chin-chuan led the very first "Chinese Taipei" delegation to attend the annual WHA conference in Geneva. The evening before at dinner, DPP Youth students studying in France surrounded him and screamed, "Yeh Chin-chuan is selling out Taiwan". Seven years later, the DPP has received an invitation to the WHA including the text of the UN resolution on one China. The DPP has also decided to send future Minister of Health Lin Tzou-yien to the WHA, also under the name "Chinese Taipei". Will people on the sidelines heckle Lin for "selling out Taiwan"?

Lin Tzou-yien is traveling down the very trail that Yeh Chin-chuan blazed. Over the past seven years, four health ministers have walked down this very trail, and presented Taiwan's views to the WHA. Does accepting the label "Chinese Taipei" really amount to "selling out Taiwan"? If it did, would an invitation have been extended to Taipei? Would Taiwan still be not be heard on the international stage? If the DPP feels that the label "Chinese Taipei" demeans or sells out Taiwan, it is perfectly free to turn down the invitation. Yet Tsai and her administration swallowed the "one China principle" in its entirety. As she explained, international participation is more important than word games. As Yang Chi-liang put it, "one exists only if one attends". This shows that scurrilous charges of "selling out Taiwan" are merely for domestic consumption.

The KMT blazed this trail. Therefore it need not deliberately embarrass the DPP during the handover of power, or attempt to box it in. Since the DPP has chosen to go down this trail, it has no right to complain about the going being too strewn with obstacles. If the DPP thinks it has the wherewithal, it can blaze its own trail. It can then see whether it will still be granted observer status by the WHO and other international organizations.

Will Lin Tzou-yien be able to attend the WHA without incident? That will depend upon Tsai Ing-wen's May 20 inaugural address. In any case, given current developments, the prickly last-minute invitation is better than no invitation at all. The new government's decision to participate, is better than rejecting the chance to attend altogether, then griping about it afterwards. The DPP is at least willing to confront its opponent head on. It is no longer hiding at home, denouncing the KMT and CCP for the benefit of their supporters.

One thing is especially noteworthy. The wording of the WHA invitation, the raised threshold, and the timing, all reveal Beijing's concern over the matter. It has thought out every step along the way. By contrast, our side is caught in a power transition. The old and new governments lack consensus. They continue to spread rumors about each other. They continue to fight with each other. They cannot even coordinate with each other over the WHA conference. In this divided Taiwan, the left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing. Each side has its own agenda. How can it possibly cope with CCP persecution? Even if the United States wanted to help, what could it do?

Our situation reflects a harsh reality. Over the years, Taiwan independence elements have held forth on national dignity, Taiwan's primacy, and nativist pride. But their rhetoric has always been for domestic consumption. It has never been able to cope with the outside world. Their grand slogans have merely served as ammunition in the domestic political struggle. They do nothing to enhance Taiwan's international status. As a result, DPP Youth, sporting in the latest fashions, lap dogs in their arms, journey from Paris to Geneva to heckle Yeh Chin-chuan for "selling out Taiwan". But have they ever dared venture forth to protest CCP persecution? What sort of “Taiwanese consciousness” does this represent, if any? How do any of these antics make Taiwan proud?

Tsai Ing-wen could have cited the "one China" clause as reason to forbid Lin Tzou-yian from attending the WHA. She could have denounced it for “demeaning Taiwan”. She could have cited "CCP persecution", "KMT complicity”, as excuses for domestic political struggle. That would have been easy. That would have been consistent with traditional DPP strategy. But Tsai Ing-wen refrained from doing so. She chose to confront reality. For this, she deserves recognition. Tsai Ing-wen has asked Lin Tzou-yian to follow in Yeh Chin-chuan's footsteps. She realizes that attending a WHO Annual Meeting is a good way to participate part in international activities. Therefore the new government has the responsibility to maintain an even keel. It must not permit unforeseen events to stand in the way of progress down this road.

Yeh Chin-chuan was heckled in Geneva seven years ago for "selling out Taiwan". Lin Tzou-yien is now proceeding down the same path. We hope his journey is without incident. For the people of Taiwan, this is a lesson learned over seven long years. Scurrilous accusations of "selling out Taiwan" will merely blow back on those who known only how to shout empty slogans, and nothing about taking real action.

聯合／看林奏延重走葉金川的「賣台」路
2016-05-11 02:36 聯合報 聯合報社論

準衛福部長林奏延。 聯合報資料照片 記者陳易辰/攝影
分享二○○九年五月，衛生署長葉金川率「中華台北」代表團首度以觀察員身分前往日內瓦出席世界衛生組織年會（ＷＨＡ），開幕前夕，他在晚宴上遭一群民進黨青年團留法學生的包圍，叫罵「葉金川賣台」。事隔七年，在接到附帶聯合國決議文的邀請函後，民進黨仍決定派準衛福部長林奏延出席ＷＨＡ，名稱仍是「中華台北」。這次，還會有人在場邊嗆聲「賣台」嗎？

林奏延將走的路，其實是葉金川開出來的。過去七年，已有四位部長陸續行經同一條路，把台灣的聲音帶到ＷＨＡ的現場。如果使用「中華台北」的名稱就是「賣台」，今天就不會有邀請函事件，更不會有台灣在國際場合發聲。如果民進黨覺得「中華台北」是矮化或賣台，大可拒絕邀請；但是，蔡英文和她的團隊卻連「一中原則」的刺都吞了下去，說明她認為國際參與的實質比名稱遊戲更重要。這正是楊志良說的，「有出席才有存在」；也顯示，「賣台」的指控只有供國內消費的作用。

從這樣的脈絡看，國民黨既然開出了這條路，自然沒有必要在政權交接之際故意給民進黨穿小鞋，或設什麼框限。而民進黨既然選擇繼續走這條路，也就沒資格嫌別人開出來的路不夠康莊平坦。民進黨有本事的話，不妨自己再把ＷＨＡ這條路拓得更寬闊些，看看能否讓台灣「觀察員」的身分晉級；或者，把進入其他國際組織的路也開出來。

林奏延最後能否順利出席ＷＨＡ，仍有待蔡英文五二○就職演說的變數考驗，但無論如何，從目前的發展看，帶刺的邀請函最後一刻送達總比不來的好；而新政府決定參加，也比放棄出席、卻獨攬這個議題的叫罵權，要值得肯定。至少，這意味民進黨願意正視挑戰，與對手正面交鋒，而不只是躲在家裡罵國民黨和對岸給自己的支持者聽。

值得警惕的是，從這次ＷＨＡ邀請函的措詞、門檻但書和時間點，不難看出，北京在此事上的用心之深刻，步步為營，處處布樁。相形之下，我國正處於政權交替之間，新舊政府不僅缺乏共識，更不斷互相放話、彼此打臉，甚至在與大會的聯繫上顯得被動與溝通不良。這麼一個分裂的台灣，左腳和右腳互相踩踏，各有不同的行進目標，如何可能對付中共的打壓與牽制？而即使美方有意提供協助，又要何從幫起？

這種現象，也折射了一個冰冷的事實。多年來，國內獨派夸夸其談國家的尊嚴、台灣的主體性，乃至本土的驕傲，向來都是以「內部消費」為滿足，而缺乏對外開拓的能力。那些堂皇的口號，目的只在作為國內政治鬥爭的彈藥，而未必真有能力付諸實踐，以提升台灣的國際地位或能見度。也因此，那些穿著光鮮、抱著寵物狗的民進黨青年團，會特意從巴黎跑到日內瓦去嗆罵葉金川「賣台」，卻不見他們前去向打壓台灣的中共示威。這樣的心態，有什麼台灣主體意識可言？又能表現什麼台灣驕傲？

這次，蔡英文原可藉邀請函以「一中」矮化我國為由，拒絕派林奏延出席，從而把「中共打壓」及「國民黨配合演出」等藉口留作國內政治的「相罵本」。這樣做，其實是比較容易的選擇，也比較像傳統民進黨的戰略；但蔡英文沒有這樣做，她選擇面對現實，這點值得肯定。蔡英文既然要求林奏延循著葉金川的腳步前進，這表示她承認世衛年會是一條可行而成功的國際參與途徑。那麼，新政府就有責任維護這條路的順暢，不能讓這條路因為莫名的變故中斷，甚至從此阻絕。

在葉金川於日內瓦被罵「賣台」的七年之後，林奏延也將沿著同一條路前進ＷＨＡ，我們期待他此行順利。對台灣民眾而言，這七年學到的一課，是可以把「賣台」的大帽子丟還給那些只會呼喊口號、沒有行動能力的躁動者。