Keep Taiwan free
Under the rule of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime, many Taiwanese received a distorted education. During those years, they did not have a clear idea about Taiwan or politics, which bred social division. As a result, Taiwanese refrain from talking about politics. As soon as political matters are mentioned, all become silent and do not want to express their opinions.
What is politics? It is when everyone participates in and manages things together. Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) said that to engage in politics is to manage everything concerning people in the government. In a democratic society, people are at the center of politics. In other words, democratic politics means that everyone is in charge of the government.
I have two friends who I hang out and sing karaoke with. One of them is 55, the other 65. When they knew that I submitted opinion articles to the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times), the younger friend told me to be more “careful” and be more “low-key.” The older friend reminded me of an alleged suicide at National Taiwan University. “Are you talking about the case of democracy advocate Chen Wen-chen (陳文成)?” I asked. “Yes,” she said.
I was befuddled and shocked by the conversation. Martial law ended 36 years ago, but my friends still refrain from discussing political matters. They continue to live in fear, as if an authoritarian regime were still in power.
“Don’t worry,” I told them. “Taiwan has become a democratic, free country recognized by the entire world. Unless we vote for the wrong people and take the wrong path, the past will remain in the past.”
Across the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not allow people to participate in politics. Beijing controls people’s minds through totalitarianism. In 2018, when former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) was running for mayor, he said that he would put a lid on ideologically driven political activities. Han was following the CCP’s example and trying to restrict people’s right to participate in politics. Even at a moment when the “status quo” was maintained on both sides of the Strait, Han wanted things done the CCP’s way. That was frightening and disconcerting.
In a democratic and free Taiwan, everyone should feel free to talk about politics, and ideally everyone would.
Especially with the elections right around the corner, all of us should be watching the behavior and remarks of every politician. We must not let pro-China political parties seize the chance to rule Taiwan. This is a matter concerning you, me and generations to come. We should care about our safety and happiness.
Huang Chia-wei
Taipei
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