The Cross Strait Times

Of course, by now the news is out that former President Lee claims that Taiwan independence is a “non-issue,” saddening many deep-Green supporters.  While some have said that this is a desperate ploy by Lee to win seats for the TSU in the legislature in the upcoming elections (as the seating has been halved, so small parties such as the TSU and PFP may be marginalized), I think that the more accurate interpretation of Lee’s actions can be found at Sun Bin:  it’s Lee’s play to win the moderate-Green camp from the DPP by tricking the DPP into independence fundamentalism.

 However, I do think that this is more than a power play on Lee’s part.  I do think that Lee is genuinely concerned for Taiwan’s welfare, and as this editorial from the Taipei Times shows:

According to a recent Taiwan Thinktank survey, the percentage of Taiwanese who believe that ethnic tensions have increased has risen drastically over the past 12 years, from 17 percent in 1995 to 31.9 percent in 2003, 55.9 percent in 2004 and 57.3 percent this year. Meanwhile, the percentage of people who believe that ethnic tensions have fallen has dropped from 63.3 percent to 36.1 percent during the same period.

Lee has accused President Chen of “ruling [Taiwan] by slogans” and manipulating ethnicity and the “non-issue” of Taiwan independence (when Taiwan already functions separately from the Mainland as ROC) to win votes for the DPP while furthering division in Taiwan.  All this must weigh heavily on Lee, who helped Chen get elected twice only to see the “New Taiwanese Identity” that Lee created be splintered back into Hoklo, Mainlander, Hakka, and Aborigines. 

Lee’s moving of the TSU to the center seems to be his way of giving the “New Taiwanese Identity” new life in hopes of bringing Taiwan back together again.  Spearheaded by Lee Teng-hui or not, Taiwan does need harmony if we are to solve our own problems and actually have a functioning government.

With Ma’s indictment, KMT is thrown into a tailspin.   Ma stepped down from the KMT chairman position but also he immediately declared for Presidential elections.  Without a chairman, KMT is scrambling to find a replacement.  Some are advocating Lian Chan the honary chairman to step back in.   So far Lian has refused the offer citing that he has no desire to do so.  Aircow believes that  Lian is doing the right thing in not coming back to lead the party.   Fresh new blood is needed for the KMT.   It needs politicians that can connect with the taiwanese people and does not need washed out politicians to come back.   Uniting china under ROC must wait, uniting taiwan should be ROC’s main concern.   The truth is that 现在的ROC已不是从前的ROC 想要光复大陆河山,走向共和还得靠大陆人自已.  

However, with that said then who is the right candidate for the KMT to run for Presidential elections of the new Republic of China, a republic of china that is focused on unifying the taiwan island.   Is it really Wang Jing Ping because he is local taiwanese thus he understands taiwan?  Or Ma someone with a unscroupulous record and one who has shown he is willing to make tough decision to reform the old KMT.   I think Ma is the better candidate.   But who cares about what I think.   Why is the KMT still falling back into the old back room politics?  Lian is wise not to step back into the chairmanship, but he is showing stupidity by trying to get Ma and Wang to talk.   Nobody in taiwan is falling for the fake unity that Lian is trying to create.   Ma and Wang should just use the democratic system within the party to choose the KMT’s presidential candidate.   Why is that so difficult?  There is no need for the party to appear united, everyone already knows both Ma and Wang wants to run for President.  Competition is good, KMT needs to start embracing it or else its existence will not be for long       

Sixty years ago, the arrest of a cigarette vendor in Taipei triggered the greatest tragedy in recent Taiwanese history.  The 228 protests and the subsequent massacre is certainly a dark page in KMT history.  Its causes were complex, and the exact death toll remains unknown, but the blame lays at the door of the KMT party-state that governed Taiwan following the retrocession from Japan.  Fortunately for both the KMT and the families of those affected by the massacre, the KMT is starting to make amends.  True, what the KMT has done so far is not nearly enough, but it is a step in the right direction.

Even though Ma Ying-jeou is no longer KMT Chairman, his media presence and therefore representation of the Pan-Blue camp at the 60th Anniversary Memorial rally was appropriate.  Sure, it was upstaging acting KMT chairman Wu Po-hsiung and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng but much needed for the healing of the Mainlander-Native rift.

Obviously, a problem preventing the KMT from truly wiping the slate clean and having the wounds heal entirely is that the “Old Guard” really doesn’t have much of an interest in truly apologizing, and they’re the ones still in power.  Thankfully, the next generation is more willing to make amends, as seen from Ma’s attempts during his time as KMT chairman to do what he can.  So what else can and should the KMT do?

1. Very, very, very (I can’t stress this enough) public apologies for what happened.  Ma gave the KMT a good start at last year’s and this year’s 228 memorial, but more needs to be said.
2. The KMT needs to back an unbiased (or at least, joint) investigation into uncovering the details and real history of 228. 
3. Pay reparations to the families of the victims.  The KMT is internally debating on whether it should come entirely from themselves or from the government, as in 1947 the party and state were one and the same.
4. Liquidate party assets stolen from the Taiwanese during the White Terror (some sources say most of this is in the process — I need to do some fact checking to verify).

True, 228 has been exploited by both the Pan-Greens and Pan-Blues for their political advantages, and it needs to stop.  Today’s KMT is no longer the oppressive, authoritarian regime under Chiang Kai-shek.  The leaders are different.  The members are different.  The ideology is different.  The party is just one of many political parties in Taiwan.  And it must be noted, that it was the KMT’s decision to democratize Taiwan in the 1980’s — it could have held onto power forever under martial law, but it didn’t.  The KMT says that the records on 228 are already open to the public.  If true, then they have taken a big step forward in doing the right thing.  Let’s just hope that they keep doing it.

The healing needs to happen, and the ball is in the KMT’s court to do something about it.  The KMT does not deny that 228 happened, and the more willing the KMT is to own up to its past, the less mileage the DPP will be able to get out of exploiting the tragedy for their own political benefit.  Instead of using 228 Peace Memorial Day to divide Taiwan, let’s learn to prevent such tragedies from ever happening again.