Our opponent is not a competitor, but an enemy. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) coalition to “control Taiwan by using Taiwan” to achieve its goal of unification.
The enemy has launched a battle of unrestricted warfare — a total war that leaves Taiwanese, who uphold the democratic ideal that sovereignty rests with the people, with nowhere to turn. It would be foolish of us to continue using a limited-war mindset to respond to their tactics.
Pretentiously touting “values” and “neutrality” only allows those with extremist ideas to take advantage of the situation, bringing disaster to the nation. The CCP, KMT and TPP are using an indirect democratic majority to contravene the public’s sovereign rights, undermining the self-determination of Taiwanese on their own land. How could human rights be traded under majority rule? Even if both sides were to agree, human rights are not market commodities to be bought and sold. If one fails to understand the meaning of freedom in democratic thought, pursuing justice on behalf of the public is out of the question.
Therefore, a mass recall movement is an appropriate solution. The KMT and TPP are no longer loyal opposition parties. Their representatives no longer serve as a bridge connecting society with the nation — rather, they would become the butchers of societal values and national survival.
Taiwan’s democratic constitutional system is being gradually consumed by our enemies, internal and external. Civil society must demonstrate the power of self-determination. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cannot remain neutral on this matter — it is imperative that it establishes partnerships with civil groups.
Democratic social movements should awaken the consciousness of self-determination in each member of the public, even those who voted for the KMT or TPP. They should also aim to disseminate true and accurate information to the international community to ensure that allies around the world do not misjudge the situation. Taiwanese should not merely sit back and watch as our democratic system fails. We want to decide the fate of our own land.
Lai Rung-wei is an assistant professor and former manager of a financial company’s investment research office.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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