By Michael Lin 林正二
On Tuesday night, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, which came to an abrupt end after just six hours. During his public announcement, Yoon criticized the opposition party for cutting the budget and paralyzing the country. Given that Taiwan’s opposition has made similar moves recently, this event quickly became a hot topic in Taiwan, with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) accusing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of “supporting martial law.”
Unless the Chinese People’s Liberation Army invades Taiwan or there is a military coup or some other type of rebellion, it is impossible that the DPP would declare martial law.
The DPP was founded on democratic principles and suffered greatly during the martial law period. It was only through public support and democratic elections that the party was able to defeat the KMT and win administrative control. After experiencing and overcoming the hardships of martial law, it could not possibly go back.
As Taiwan faces the threat of Chinese annexation, the main reason that the US, Japan and other democracies continue to resist China and defend Taiwan is because Taiwan serves as a democratic role model for Asia. Former US president George W. Bush once praised Taiwan’s democratic transformation and called on China to enact similar freedoms. If the government were to declare martial law, it would lose the support of other democratic countries. The DPP is a democratic political party, and it would be foolish to tarnish its own reputation.
When President William Lai (賴清德) greeted Taiwan’s baseball team following their win at the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12, he danced with the players in celebration. His friendly and joyful demeanor, and natural gestures reflected his humble beginnings and lack of bureaucratic air. In the face of the opposition’s arrogance, Lai’s democratic approach needs to be shared widely, allowing the public to clearly see right from wrong and win their support.
In contrast, the chaos in South Korea stemmed from the first lady’s corruption, political interference and Yoon’s dismal approval rating of just 16 percent. Lai, on the other hand, is in a completely different situation. The most recent poll shows an increase in his approval rating to 50 percent.
Taiwanese are accustomed to a free and democratic lifestyle —we are free to march, protest, and openly criticize the president and the ruling party. Representatives, opposition parties and the media have always strictly supervised the government and those in positions of power. Meanwhile, the public is free to express their views by submitting op-eds and letters. Regardless of who holds power, it is impossible that Taiwan would return to martial law. Anyone who dares to revoke the democratic political rights Taiwanese enjoy would have to pay an enormous and unbearable price.
Michael Lin is a retired diplomat, formerly posted in the US.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
