A "Nation of Taiwan" Founded On Human Rights?

A "Nation of Taiwan" Founded On Human Rights?
China Post editorial
by Bevin Chu
April 28, 2009

The Democratic Progressive Party has long vowed that any "Nation of Taiwan" or "Republic of Taiwan" it founded would be firmly rooted in a profound respect for human rights.

Who hasn't heard the DPP's ringing slogan: "ren quan li guo," i.e., "founding a nation upon human rights?"

Unfortunately deeds speak louder than words. Unfortunately the DPP's deeds long ago proved that its commitment to human rights has never been more than ritual lip service.

This was never more evident than recently, when the DPP attempted to rationalize the unacceptable behavior of one of its legislators, but succeeded only in underscoring the party's callous indifference to higher principles.

Last week opposition DPP lawmaker Chiu Yi-ying physically assaulted KMT lawmaker Lee Ching-hua. She marched up to the podium where Lee was speaking and slapped him in the face.

At the time Lee was speaking on cross-Strait relations. He was saying that instead of condemning SEF Chief Chiang Ping-kuen for taking a leave of absence, the DPP should have condemned former SEF Chiefs within the Chen Shui-bian administration for their repeated refusals to report to the committee.

Unhappy with Lee's remarks, Chiu repeatedly interrupted Lee by loudly speaking out of turn, in clear violation of parliamentary procedure.

A frustrated Lee asked Chiu to behave with greater decorum. He asked her not to let down her parents, who presumably taught her the fundamentals of etiquette.

Chiu then strode up to the podium and accused Lee of insulting her parents and demanded an apology.

When Chiu continued to harangue Lee, he called her a "po fu" (shrew). When Lee turned to his fellow lawmakers to complain about Chiu being out of order, Chiu slapped him on the left cheek.

This prompted Lee to denounce the DPP as a "party of violence," at which point the entire Legislature erupted into chaos.

Lee did not slap Chiu back. As he explained later, he was taught that men do not hit women.

Fortunately the entire process, including the verbal exchange leading up to Chiu's assault against Lee, was caught on video tape. Had it not been, one can only imagine how the DPP would have demagogued the incident.

KMT Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Yang Chiung-ying demanded that Chiu be referred to the legislature’s Discipline Committee. Legislators enjoy legal immunity for any remarks they might make within the Legislature, Yang said, but they do not enjoy legal immunity for acts of physical violence. She demanded that DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen assume full responsibility for Chiu's conduct unbecoming a lawmaker.

How did DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen respond?

Tsai rushed to Chiu's defense. She said Chiu's physical violence was a justifiable response to KMT "yu yan bao li" (verbal violence) and "duo shu bao li" (majority violence). She said Chiu's physical violence was justified because "Chiu was provoked."

DPP Legislative Caucus Whip Ker Chien-ming said Chiu was merely speaking out on behalf of "the Taiwanese people." She was being suppressed by “China sympathizers,” Lee in particular.

Chiu herself said she would not tolerate insults against her parents and vowed to “fight to the death” to defend them. She admitted that she slapped Lee, but insisted her action "was not an act of violence." She called the KMT "gutless" for defending Lee, and called him a "chauvinist pig." She said she was merely "getting even on behalf of all women." She vowed to "defend her honor and that of other women." She said that if Lee Ching-hua refused to apologize, she would continue slapping him.

DPP Legislative Caucus Whip Kao Jyh-peng warned the KMT Legislative Caucus not to send Chiu to the legislative Disciplinary Committee, or the DPP Legislative Caucus would retaliate in kind.

In case you're doing a double-take, in case your jaw is on the floor, in case you're laughing in incredulity, you're not alone.

The DPP was once the main opposition party. It later became the ruling party. Now it has once again been relegated to opposition party status. Throughout the process, the DPP has demonstrated nothing but contempt for human rights.

Consistency is said to be a virtue. If so, then the DPP has the virtue of being consistently contemptuous of human rights, regardless of whether it is in or out of power.

In fact, the DPP's unwavering contempt for human rights does serve one good purpose. It provides Republic of China voters with an unmistakable indication of what they can expect from a "Nation of Taiwan" or "Republic of Taiwan" founded on the DPP's unique conception of human rights.