100 Years of KMT-enforced Nonsense is Enough

I'm just amazed at the success that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has had at convincing the majority of Taiwanese that the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China government IN CHINA is something worth celebrating here in Taiwan. Forty years of murder of all the nay-sayers, beginning with he 228 Massacre, and 60 years of cultural brainwashing by the KMT's Leninist organizational structure has really paid off handsomely. Or maybe after 40 years of military occupation and martial law in support of the KMT's sinocization efforts and nation-building schemes in Taiwan (not to mention China's threat to murder Taiwanese wholesale if they dare try to improve things), most Taiwanese have just given up trying to conceive of anything else better or more honest. This passive, lazy, and nihilistic mei ban fa (沒辦法) attitude (translation: It can not be changed. So accept it.) can only begin to address the average Taiwanese's unconcerned attitude towards the contradictions inherent in celebrating the ROC's founding in China 100 years ago.

As if the 100-year anniversary of overthrow of the Qing Empire in  China has anything to do with Taiwan, which was a legal and internationally recognized territory of Japan in 1911.  The ROC government became a government-in-exile when it fled Nanjing, China, to the military occupied island of Taiwan (whose sovereignty 60 years after Japan relinquished it is still officially and legally "undecided") . The ROC government (and the constitution, flag, and other national symbols) were imported to Taiwan in 1949 without the democratic consent of the inhabitants of Taiwan. International law does not recognize any procedures, actions, or methods whereby a government-in-exile can become "the legally recognized government of its current locality of residence." This is why the Dalai Lama's Tibetan government-in-exile does not exercise sovereignty over its location in Dharamsala, in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. Similarly, the Jan. 12, 1946 military order, which authorized a "mass naturalization" of native Taiwanese people as ROC citizens, was and is illegal under international law.

To steal a line from the excellent Letters from Taiwan: the ROC Centennial is the celebration of 38 years of corrupt and murderous governance in China, followed by 62 years of murderous and corrupt occupation and colonization of Taiwan by the failed state of the R.O.C in exile and its various cronies, gangsters, and hangers-on.

Could Stockholm Syndrome, on a mass scale, explain such mass public acquiescence and general positive receptions over such an a-historical non-event?  Left untouched in this backward-looking "celebration" are the myriad unaddressed issues and unfinished business of transition from the ROC occupation and colonization to a truer, and more honest democratically determined government that can actually represent the multi-ethnic and historically complex makeup of the modern Taiwanese.

The '92 Consensus: Short-Term Gain, Long-Term Pain

Finally… an article in the international press that gets it right about the emptiness of the “92 consensus." As admitted by the KMT's former National Security Council head Su Chi, who was involved at the time, there was never any "consensus" reached in negotiations held in 1992. The term "92 consensus" was fabricated 7 years later as a political fig leaf. If there was any consensus reached in 1992 at all, it was that both the KMT and the CCP agreed that "Taiwan," as a sovereign entity, will disappear in the future into some kind of future PRC/ROC cloud of One-Chineseness, with both the CCP and the KMT getting to claim that it has "reunited" the Motherland.

This "consensus," which the KMT claims allows both sides to swear their religious-like belief in a "One China," but without specifying what that means, has also allowed Taiwan's Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) the political cover they need to ink several economic and trade agreements in the last 2 years, leading to some short-term gains for both parties. However, these gains will only mask various serious long-term "pains" and problems, as the true meaninglessness of the "'92 consensus" will slowly reveal itself, exposing the KMT to greater local political anger and backlash, and enabling the CCP greater political leverage to enact its goals of annexing Taiwan.

First, the short-term gains. The fig leaf that is the "'92 consensus" allows the KMT and the CCP the political cover they need to sign deals, but also provides the KMT the local political cover they need to hide the fact that they've secretly agreed with the CCP to China's growing suzerainty over Taiwan. This cover is essential, as there would be NO deals with the CCP if the KMT had not tacitly agreed in some way to China's claims over Taiwan. But there would also be riots in the streets of Taiwan if the locals ever got wind of the KMT's undemocratic, behind-the-door, secret power-sharing deals with China.

Second, all the agreements of the last few years that have been enabled by repeating the "'92 consensus" mantra mostly benefit KMT-connected big businesses and KMT-connected developmentalist policies. Already the world's richest political party, these deals further entrench the KMT's domination of Taiwan's political landscape.

Third, the phony "'92 consensus" benefits China, as it allows China to sign deals with Taiwan's government, thus affirming the illusion that China seeks "peaceful" re-approchement with Taiwan, as part of its "peaceful rise." This is despite the 2005 "Anti-Secession Law," which threatens Taiwan will death and destruction unless is submits to China's suzerainty, China's continued belligerent language from both the CCP and PLA leadership, the continued double-digit yearly increase in China's military spending, all of which centers around invading Taiwan, and the increase to nearly 2000 Chinese missiles that still threaten Taiwan.

Lastly, allowing either side to operate under the "'92 consensus" ephemera benefits both the KMT's and the CCP's ideological goals. For the KMT, their ideological goals consist of a) never having to admit they lost the Chinese Civil War by maintaining their delusion of the continued existence of the long-defunct Republic of China, which, constitutionally consists of China, Tibet, East Turkestan (Xinjiang), Mongolia, and (by a 1949 ex-post-facto statute only) Taiwan, b) to maintain the political fiction in the minds of the Taiwanese that the ROC equals Taiwan (but to never admit that Taiwan = ROC), and c) just as the KMT's economic and political control of Taiwan has allowed them to utilize their vast network of connections to the island's resources to enrich both their political power-base and their party-coffers, the KMT's future goals are to further enrich themselves on the developing cross-strait CCP/KMT/organized crime nexus. The ideological goals of China are much more simple: to annex Taiwan to the PRC, and thereby maintain its political legitimacy and power within the People's Republic of China.

However, the short-term gains the "'92 consensus" has afforded both the CCP and the KMT will only delay confronting serious long-term political pains. First, how can you have consensus when all you agreed to was to "agree to disagree?" There is no THERE there.... no admission of either side's long-term political goals, nor any real agreed framework that can help either side sort out future political differences or offer any long-term guidance to future political negotiations.

Second, the economic agreements made between the KMT and the CCP in the last two years have denigrated Taiwan's sovereignty and will cement Taiwan in China's economic orbit, thus endangering Taiwan's hard-earned freedoms and fragile democracy. The democratic goals and aspirations of Taiwan’s 23 million people will be ignored as much as possible by both the KMT or the CCP, as they conflict with the ideological goals of these two nationalistic, autocratic, pro-China parties.

Third, China dominates world opinion about Taiwan's status via its Taiwan-isolating "united front strategy" all the while insisting to the world that "one China" really means the People's Republic of China, with Taiwan being a specially administered "region" of the PRC. (Luckily for the KMT, Taiwanese seem oblivious to how China or the rest of the world conceives of the Taiwan/China relationship, and are content with believing the KMT are somehow "pro-Taiwan." (Check out these deceptive KMT campaign posters from 2008 that were in a lovely shade of blue-green.)

Furthermore, as the CCP begins to put increasing pressure on the KMT to enter political discussions on such sensitive issues as a "peace" treaty to officially end the Chinese Civil War and to determine Taiwan's ultimate fate, how will the KMT maintain the fiction that is the ROC, and how do they maintain their economic and political control of Taiwan? The idiocy of the phony "'92 consensus" will unravel as China begins to pressure Taiwan for a "final solution" to end Taiwan's independence. As the CCP slowly squelches the last of Taiwan's sovereignty and international presence, as well as asserting greater influence of Taiwan's domestic affairs, the CCP may eventually call the KMT's bluff: the KMT may be finally forced to show the true weakness of its hand in this deal with the devil called the "'92 consensus."

How, at that point, will the KMT be able to maintain its belief in the continued existence or sovereignty of the ROC? Perhaps, if the KMT and the CCP ever do reach a political agreement, only the best of Chinese denialism and ass-covering, flim-flamming verbiage will work to maintain the delusions of ROC's continuation or sovereignty. However, given past CCP behavior towards their political rivals, the KMT, in a post-peace-agreement era, will be lucky to escape their eventual liquidation or imprisonment, at worst, or absorption into the CCP, at best.

And how about the hapless Taiwanese? Barring the ability of the KMT to keep Taiwan's populace perpetually hypnotized with continuos promises of future economic riches and benefits in the cargo cult that is their pro-China policies, the voters of Taiwan will (hopefully) finally be able to see how firmly the KMT have sold out Taiwan and placed Taiwan under China's control. Expect some political gnashing of teeth, rending of garments, and letting of blood. But by then, will it be too late for democracy in Taiwan and its people?

BP Oil Leak in Gulf of Mexico... Watch our Earth Being Destroyed

Words fail to capture the enfolding disaster that is this leak in the Gulf of Mexico. I was born in Erath,Louisiana, and visited the southern Louisiana "Cajun" delta area and bayous often as a child. I often vacationed in southern Alabama and the panhandle of Florida. This area used to be so clean and pristine.

Now... the areas I knew as a child are now, for all intents and purposes, gone forever.

UPDATE: Well, thankfully, BP has successfully plugged the leak. But the environment damage caused by the leakage of hundreds of millions of gallons of crude oil and the application of thousands of tons of oil dispersants into the Gulf will be felt for many, many decades to come. I still weep for the loss of what once was...

Kill Your TV: It could turn you into the Borg.

Television is a drug. from Beth Fulton on Vimeo.

This is exactly why I don't watch TV: it just lulls you into this non-thinking, trace-like state, where your opinions and thoughts get shaped into whatever the corporate sponsors want you to think.

I find it odd that every restaurant in Taipei has TVBS blasting loudly on the TV: it reminds me so much of the novel 1984, where here, big-brother China is telling us Proles how to have correct "pro-blue' thought. "I am a zhong hua min zu. I have always been a zhong hua min zu. Chen Shui-bian stole my money. Only the KMT can save me from the evil Taiwan splittists."

Speaking of zhong hua min zu (中華民族), Professor Jerome Keating had an excellent article entitled, "In Search of Taiwan Minzu: the First Step, Seeing What it is Not," in which he argues that:

Nothing exemplifies Ma Ying-jeou's lack of identity with and/or grasp of what it is to be Taiwanese than his constant attempts to push Zhonghua minzu on the Taiwanese. The truth of the matter is that historically Zhonghua minzu has little to do with Taiwan.

I see "zhonghua mingzu" as being a lot like the Star Trek's Borg: it's a vast assimilation of various ethnic groups conveniently fabricated to justify Beijing's territorial expansions.

We are the zhong hua min zu. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

OK, so maybe I've watched more TV than I care to admit! haha

Taiwan: Island of the Blues

One of my adult students, who I've taught for 3 years, committed suicide last week. A boyfriend of a good Taiwanese friend committed suicide a few years ago. So many of my other friends have talked about, contemplated, or even attempted suicide.

I wonder what contributes to such a high suicide rate in Taiwan? Too much social pressure so succeed? Too uncertain and bleak a future, with Taiwan slowly being absorbed into a faceless and souless Chinese Empire? Living in a material culture with no spiritual, ethical, or political values, as so many Taiwanese Strawberries do?

Taiwan: the Land of Political Purgatory

The sign in the picture above is a rather extreme statement. But it's also a logical conclusion to the legal and political arguments I summarized before, and a sign of how desperately some Taiwan wish to maintain their hard-won democracy, freedom, and independence from Chinese despotism: independence that the KMT gravely threatens with their recent head-long rush into financial and economic integration with the authoritarian People's Republic of China. Notice the same flag, again: the island of Taiwan attached to the American flag.

It's a fact that between 1946 and 1949, the US government, as principal occupying power of Taiwan, considered removing the Republic of China (ROC) administration from power in Taiwan (the ROC was simply the "subordinate occupying power" of Taiwan at the time) and replacing it with a United Nations-administered government due to Chiang Kai-shek's (蔣介石) utterly corrupt and depraved governance of Taiwan (especially after the 228 massacre). After Chiang and the KMT lost the Chinese civil war to Mao Ze-dong and the communists and retreated to Taiwan in 1949, the US government then considered just washing their hands of him and letting the commies take Taiwan.

Chiang Kai-shek was nicknamed "Peanut-head" by US generals, so great was his incompetence. What saved Chiang's ass was Communist China's invasion of Korea in 1950, which forced Truman to draw a line in the sand against further communist expansion in SE Asia by sending the 7th Fleet into the Taiwan Strait, and throw American support behind Chiang's corrupt government. How tragic for the Taiwanese that they were stuck with this pathetic loser and his corrupt, defunct ROC government for next 60 years.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen found herself in some hot water recently for stating the truth: the Republic of China (ROC) is a government-in-exile.

Poor Taiwan, continuing in its weird political purgatory. If you speak the truth-- that the Republic of China is an alien, colonialist government that serves only one purpose: to keep the KMT in control of Taiwan's identity, wealth and culture, and that nearly everything that the KMT has done to Taiwan since 1946 has no legal basis in international law -- than you are sure to cause a political firestorm and be branded a "trouble-maker."

And of course, Tsai's honesty exposes the inherent paradox of the DPP: it seeks to gain political control (through democratic means) of a government it sees as illegitimate (because the Republic of China was never established in Taiwan through democratic or legal means) and seeks to replace the ROC with a legal, democratically created Republic of Taiwan, along with a new constitution, flag, national anthem, and all the trappings of a legitimate government.

Of course, neither the KMT or their allies, the Chinese Communist Party, will ever allow such a development to occur. They'd rather destroy Taiwan in war and wash the island with blood than loose their grips on Taiwan identity, economy and culture.

For the DPP, the ROC is just a shell, the only available vehicle for carrying Taiwan's inherent sovereignty and independence until such time that a formal, internationally recognized Republic of Taiwan can be established. Thus, the pro-green side both need the ROC to continue Taiwan's democratic transformation and governance, and despise the ROC as being illegitimate and colonialist at the same time.

For the KMT, the ROC somehow magically floats right on top of Taiwan, a part of Taiwan, yet apart. Taiwan, to them, is just a "region" of the ROC, whose boundaries actually comprise the old Qing Empire: China, Tibet, East Turkestan (also called Xinjiang), AND Mongolia. Taiwan was just thrown in, by statue, at the last minute in 1947. This concoction is pure fantasy, of course. Mongolia is an independent country. Tibet and East Turkestan are, in no way, administered by the ROC government in Taiwan. Rather, they are coerced colonies of the new Chinese Empire, better known as the People's Republic of China.

Of course, the KMT and their version of the "shell" country called the ROC also serve one other purpose: as a kind of religious cult-- based on the faith article of "return to mommyland." This religious faith, through 60 years of violence and coercion on the hapless Taiwanese, have allowed the Chinese who fled here in 1949 from ever losing face or facing the reality that they LOST both the Chinese civil war AND China. They can continue in their little ideologically-blinded fantasy land that believes that if they can't return to China, then China will return to THEM! Come hell or high water or murdered Taiwanese, if need be.

The vast majority of Taiwanese citizens, who, with time and intermarriage, now comprise a light blue/light green continuum, in recent polls show a general support for "the status quo." To them, the official name of the government and its constitution are meaningless quibbles between selfish children. They generally only require a half-way functional government who can keep them relatively safe, keep the trains and buses running on time, and keep the economy humming. Notions like democracy and freedom or even the environment are abstract concepts that mean little to them. Making money and accumulating social status are the main concerns for the vast majority of Taiwanese of all ethnic backgrounds, in my experience.

And thus Taiwan's long, 60-year purgatory of KMT-imposed governmental illegitimacy and non-recognition will continue into the indefinite future.

Thailand See(the)s Red

I don't think you can just say all of these pro-red supporters throughout Thailand were just ignorant dupes who are being manipulated by Thaksin's bribes. That's insulting the intelligence of too many people and overestimating the power of just one man. Again, this is what happens in a democracy when your views are routinely dismissed and your legitimate vote patronizingly annulled by a coup.

"This is not for Thaksin,” he said. “This is for democracy."

This sentiment can not be forgotten, despite the Red Shirt's poor leadership, which lost much moral credibility when it allowed the protests to descend into chaos, violence, and destruction.

But to me, Thaksin is just an easy scapegoat to blame for all of Thailand's woes. Whatever crimes Thaksin was guilty of cannot compare with the greatest crime of them all: overthrowing the democratic vote of the people. This is just blowback from this disastrous decision to stage a coup in 2006. It's the coup leaders who ought to be having their asses on the line for all this trouble, including he-who-can-not-be-named-lest-you-violate-the-lèse majesté-law.

A bandanna he sells is embossed with the words, "I’m not scared of you."

I just wish there was a similarly brave and organized "green" movement in Taiwan that would be pissed off about what the KMT is currently doing to its citizens.

And so, poor Thailand continues to bleed in a seemingly endless cycle of attacks and reprisals. My thoughts go out to all my friends in Bangkok who are dealing stoically with the chaos.

How to find a way forward? I think even if Thaksin's head was on a plate tomorrow, the underlying causes of the discontent would remain: the entrenched power elite (the military, the aristocracy, business elites, etc), whose corruption I'd bet is identical in every way to Thaksin's, will just continue to keep their hands on the levels of power in the country. The disenchanted poor and working classes will remain increasingly desperate (and perhaps turn increasingly to violence) as their only source of power -- the election ballot -- will continue to be thwarted by the courts or the military by having a hard or soft coup whenever one of the Red Shirt's duly-elected own gets too uppity and threatens the entrenched powers that be.

And one more problem that really needs to be addressed: Thais need to have an open, honest, and FREE debate on the proper role of the royal family in a modern and democratic Thailand, which can only begin by recinding its lèse majesté laws. Without being able to touch that giant gorilla in the middle of living room, the prospects for progress will remain grim.

And so, regardless of the actors of the hour, the tensions will remain until the underlying systematic issues are addressed, including the creation of a neutral military and judiciary that are untouchable by any political parties and who don't have their hands in the till. (Well it's a pipe dream, I guess.)

Let's hope in the coming months and years wiser heads on both sides can find a way forward towards real progress AND justice.