Peace, Reunification, and the Chinese People: Three Antidotes for Taiwan's Crisis

Peace, Reunification, and the Chinese People: Three Antidotes for Taiwan's Crisis
China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC) 
A Translation 
June 22, 2016

Executive Summary: Tsai Ing-wen and the ruling DPP regime need to realize that hate is a poison, born of mutual deception. Hatred of Mainland China will eventually force the Mainland to hate Taiwan. The hatred incited on Taiwan today, will be reciprocated in kind tomorrow by the Mainland, and push Taiwan inexorably toward the abyss. As the party in power, the DPP should be happy to see the KMT help Taiwan extricate itself from its threefold dilemma. “The Chinese people”. How long has it been since we have heard these words? Only "Chinese people helping Chinese people" can extricate Taiwan from its predicament.

Full Text Below:

Taiwan was once one of the “Four Asian Tigers". It created an "economic miracle". It was a "beacon of democracy". But everyone on Taiwan, with the exception of a few willfully blind, willfully deaf politicians, knows that Taiwan now faces marginalized on the world stage, enmity from the other side of the Strait, and social divisions from within. If it continues on its current course, Taiwan will eventually lose everything it has. It will even suffer the indignity of being reunified by force.

The most serious crisis facing Taiwan is cross-Strait relations. Fortunately it is the crisis most easily remedied. In fact, a former president proposed a solution to the cross-Strait crisis 20 years ago, during his inaugural address. His address has been touted as the most enlightened in two decades. During his address, he said historical factors may have led to divided rule, but both sides of the Strait nevertheless seek national reunification as their goal. Only through sincerity and patience, through communications, through the seeking of common ground while shelving differences, can the two sides resolve the problem of national reunification, and ensure the common good of the Chinese nation as a whole.

He said the two sides of the Strait must end hostilities in order to facilitate national reunification. He said peace and tolerance is the only way to defuse confrontation and hatred. The former president's inaugural address invoked many current catchphrases, including “peace, tolerance, national reunification, the Chinese people, an end to hostilities”, and “overcoming hatred”.

The former president was of course Lee Teng-hui. In 1996, during his inauguration, he issued his "Promote a Great Taiwan, Establish a New Chinese Nation" proclamation. Even the title was praised as "lofty in its sentiment, extraordinary in its courage". But soon afterward "national reunification" became a taboo expression. Even "peace agreements" were denounced as "selling out Taiwan", as part of an "evil agenda".

Any president today who echoed Lee Teng-hui's "Promote a Great Taiwan, Establish a New Chinese Nation" inaugural speech would immediately be crucified on Facebook. The presidential palace would be besieged by mobs of students. Talking heads would hold him up to ridicule. They would conclude that he no longer wanted to be president, and was intent on committing political suicide.

If this speech by Lee Teng-hui from 20 years ago, were delivered today, it would obviously be deemed Politically Incorrect. In fact, the first person to leap forward and denounce this speech as “selling out Taiwan”, the first person to cast a stone, would be none other than Godfather of Taiwan Independence Lee Teng-hui himself. But set aside Politic Correctness for the moment. Return to the reality of the three crises facing Taiwan. Is this inaugural speech, which today seems so Politically Incorrect, factually incorrect? Are not the ringing sentiments expressed in this speech in fact the remedy for Taiwan's marginalization in the world today, for the enmity between the two sides of the Strait, and for the social divisions tearing Taiwan apart from within?

If so, why must we be held hostage by Political Correctness? Why can't “Chinese people help Chinese people". Why can't they acknowledge that they are members of the same family? Why can't people on the two sides be friends? Why can't people on the two sides benefit from their association and pursue a brighter future? If this is not wrong, our course of action should crystal clear.

The two sides have been isolated from each other for some time. Nevertheless the two sides' political, cultural, social, economic links have never truly bee broken. People on Taiwan and people on the Mainland have never had any real grievances with each other. Current opposition and hatred of Mainland China is the result of political manipulation. Young people in particular, never experienced the Chinese Civil War. They don't realize that this hate is the result of "mutual vilification". It is a remnant of history. Much of today's emotionalism is a legacy of the Chinese Civil War. It is hatred between regimes, not hatred among people.

Cross-Strait hatred is a legacy of KMT vs. CCP history. An end to enmity can only be achieved by the enemies themselves. The KMT and CCP are the ones who must put an end to the enmity. Hung Shiu-chu should meet with Xi Jinping and issue a joint declaration. The two parties should declare an end to hostilities. They should declare an end to the Chinese Civil War. Hung should pledge that upon a KMT return to power, she will promote the normalization of cross-Strait relations, the rule of law, and the concept of Chinese people helping Chinese people. When the Kuomintang was in office, it lacked courage. Now it has been reduced to a feeble opposition party. If it still cannot muster the courage to defy Political Correctness, if it still lacks the fortitude to uphold National Correctness, Taiwan Correctness, and Cross-Strait Correctness, what chance does it have of returning to office?

Tsai Ing-wen and the ruling DPP regime need to realize that hate is a poison, born of mutual deception. Hatred of Mainland China will eventually force the Mainland to hate Taiwan. The hatred incited on Taiwan today, will be reciprocated in kind tomorrow by the Mainland, and push Taiwan inexorably toward the abyss. As the party in power, the DPP should be happy to see the KMT help Taiwan extricate itself from its threefold dilemma.

“The Chinese people”. How long has it been since we have heard these words? Only "Chinese people helping Chinese people" can extricate Taiwan from its predicament.

真道理性真愛台灣》社論－台灣三危解藥 和平、統一、中國人
2016年06月22日 04:10 主筆室

今日的台灣，除了一些蒙眼裝瞎、遮耳扮聾的政客外，有識之士無不清楚看見，曾是「亞洲小龍」、曾創造「經濟奇蹟」、曾被譽為「民主燈塔」的台灣，正面對在世界舞台邊緣化、兩岸關係對立化、社會內部撕裂化三危之局，如果繼續無所作為，台灣將一步一步走向滿盤皆輸，甚至淪為沒有尊嚴的被統一局面。

其中，最關鍵危局在兩岸，三個危局中最可解者也是在兩岸。其實早就有一位前總統，在就職演說中提出過兩岸危局的解方，這篇就職演說堪稱台灣20年來最有高度與氣度的演說。在這篇就職演說中，他指出，海峽兩岸因為歷史因素隔海分治，乃是事實；但是海峽雙方都以追求國家統一為目標，也是事實。兩岸唯有面對這些事實，以最大的誠意與耐心，進行對談溝通，化異求同，才能真正解決國家統一的問題，謀求中華民族的共同福祉。

他說，海峽兩岸都應該正視處理結束敵對狀態這項重大問題，以便為追求國家統一的歷史大業，做出關鍵性的貢獻。他說，我們深信，和平寬容是化解對立仇恨的唯一手段。這位前總統的就職演說，使用了許多今日看來仍然是打開兩岸死結、為台灣衝出生路的關鍵字：和平寬容、國家統一、中國人及結束敵對、化解仇恨等。

這位前總統的名字叫李登輝，這是他在1996年就職總統時發表的演說「經營大台灣，建立新中原」，連演說的標題都可謂「豪情萬丈、氣魄非凡」。然而曾幾何時，「國家統一」變成了不可說的「禁忌」，連談「和平協議」都變成「賣台」「邪議」。

今日此時若有哪一位總統，敢把李登輝這篇「經營大台灣，建立新中原」的就職演說拿出來照念，大概立刻就會被網路鄉民灌爆臉書，總統府前可能馬上圍聚大批學生想要衝進去，媒體名嘴也會齊出訕笑，認為這位總統當得不耐煩了，想要政治自殺。

20年前李登輝這篇演說若今日重現，注定是政治不正確，而且會第一個跳出來痛批這篇演說是賣台言論、會丟出第一個石頭的，應該就是號稱台獨教父的李登輝。但讓我們放下所謂「政治正確」局限，回到台灣面對的三危局現實，好好想想，今日看來如此「政治不正確」的這篇就職演說，真的那麼不正確嗎？難道這篇演說裡句句鏗鏘的主張，不是台灣今日在世界邊緣化、在兩岸對立化、在台灣撕裂化，解救三疾齊發的一帖對症處方嗎？

如果是，那麼為什麼我們要被「政治正確」綁架，為什麼不能以「中國人幫中國人」一家親的高度，讓兩岸人民可以立足於友好善意，追求兩岸同利共榮的光明未來？如果大家認為這些方向沒錯，那麼，接下來，台灣該做的事就非常清楚而明白了。

兩岸政治雖然長期隔絕，兩岸民眾的文化、社會、經濟連結卻未真正斷絕，台灣人與大陸人從來沒有冤仇，眼前社會充斥的「反中」與「仇中」情緒都是政治操控的結果。尤其年輕人不曾走過兩岸烽火那段歷史，不知道仇恨是一種「相互醜化」的歷史遺留，今天很多的情緒是國共內戰遺留下來的，那是「政權間的仇恨」，不是「人民間的仇恨」。

兩岸的仇恨是國共兩黨的歷史遺留，解仇還需結仇人，國共兩黨理當率先笑泯恩仇，洪秀柱與習近平不妨會面並共同發表宣言，實現兩黨結束敵對，藉此宣示國共內戰的歷史終結，並承諾執政後將推動兩岸關係的正常化與法制化、中國人幫助中國人的社會認知。國民黨執政時沒有勇氣，現在淪為弱勢的在野黨，若還不拿出抗拒政治正確的勇氣，以大格局堅持國家正確、台灣正確、兩岸正確，豈有機會再起？

握有政權的蔡英文與民進黨更要知道，仇恨是一種「互相矇蔽」的歷史毒藥，今天台灣煽起的仇中，都是讓明日大陸醞釀仇台的種子，那將把台灣推向不可逆的深淵。身為執政者當有氣度樂見國民黨側翼幫助台灣脫離三危困境。

中國人，好久不見的三個字，唯有開創「中國人幫中國人」新局，台灣才能走出困局。