By Therold Prudent

The ominous winds which brought the Two China conflict to our shores, in what is being played out today as high stakes, big dollar diplomacy, began its long westward journey on the very same day that Moe Zedong and his red army crossed the Yangtze River in 1949.

With riffles blazing, and cities from Nanjing to Shanghi falling quickly into communist hands, the future of Chiang Kai-Shek and his Kuomintang government grew increasingly in doubt. After years of internal conflict in which the scourge of civil war claimed thousands of lives, Moa had finally gained the upper hand.

For Chiang Kai-Shek and his defeated army and loyal following, the only place left for retreat was across the 180 kilometer straits that lead to Taiwan. Once there, they would eventually set up a government in exile, with hopes of one day returning to the mainland as conquerors of the communist army.

Facilitated by the United States and other western powers who feared very much the spread of communism in that region and around the world, the Republic of China (Taiwan) would not only remain a member of the United Nations, but would also occupy a permanent seat on its security council as the legitimate representative of the Chinese people. The ration given then was that since force had been used to remove the Kuomintang (Nationalist) from power, Moa and his communist movement did not have the prerequisite to receive any recognition as the new government of China.

This was for Chiang Kai-Shek and the Kuomintang a tremendous victory. Here they were (even in defeat) riding high on the waves of western approval and recognition, even if like Moa and the communist over on mainland China, they beat and tortured people to death and ruled in a despotic fashion. With Martial Law in place and the system of governance confined to a one party state, the people that would continue to suffer the most were the indigenous Taiwanese. In fact, after enduring centuries of occupation under Ching, the Dutch and later the Japanese, thousands more, who did not comply with the dictates of Chiang Kai-Shek, were executed and made to feel like second class citizens in their own country. Their hopes for the attainment of autonomy which had been given voice to from as early as 1921, would once again be dashed by the constrains of further occupation.

Remarkably, amidst the suspension of civil liberties, Taiwan prospered under the Chiang Kai-Shek and the Kuomintang regime. With massive aid pouring in from the United States and other western nations, great emphasis was placed on fortifying its military defenses, improving its education system and transforming Taiwan into a highly successful agricultural state.

Later, as the Taiwanese people became self-sufficient its economy expanded, its politics stabilized and it became endowed with a growing political confidence and sense of independence-an independence, born in part, out of the economic measures taken by the Taiwanese government to liberalized its export and import markets, the stage it seem was now set for Taiwan to enter the world stage as a major economic power.In the years which followed the imposition of the Kuomintang on the people of Taiwan, and despite of all its economic gains, there would be some costly political set backs of an international nature.

Aided by the war in Vietnam and coupled by the aggressive nature of Cold War politics, an increasing powerful Red China in Asia was becoming a great source of concern to the west. The question of which Chinese government should occupy the seat at the United Nations would soon dominate world opinion. And so, as many world governments began to reassess the repercussion of their non recognition positions of Red China, that very troubling question would come knocking again at the front doors of the United Nations. In Resolution 2758 which called for the restoration of the lawful rights of the People’s Republic of China the United Nations General Assembly voted in October of 1971 to strip Taiwan of membership.

Out in the cold and ostracized from the world family of nations, Taiwan would suffer even greater set backs during the 1970’s. It’s aspirations for sovereignty would again be greatly hampered by the decision of the incoming Richard Nixon administration to seek rapprochement with China. The United States recognizing the security threat which China posed to its neighbors in Asia, and recognizing that it was in their best interest to balance or broaden its influence within that region, decided that it was time to end their long standing foreign policy of ignoring the Chinese government. In the years ahead they would sign a number of trade agreements—which were primarily aimed at building the kind of confidence needed to improve Sino-US relations. And so, as the water of confidence began to flow, the United States opted in 1979 to establish full diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.

Under a repressive system of government that tortured its citizens and continued to violate the fundamentals of basic human rights, the United States had basically traded one evil and despotic government for another in order to further its own self interest. For surely, while it seemed as if China was slowly opening up to the concept of “free market” which was bound to hasten its economic development, the focus of its political apparatus did not yield in its determination to terrorize and control the day to day lives of its citizens.

For Taiwan, the only road left to travel is the one that it has continued on so patiently for the last 38 years. It is called high stakes, big dollar diplomacy which in recent years has played out so publicly in every nuke and cranny of St Lucia and in other economically deprived states in Africa and around the world. For its part, although China’s seat in the United Nations remain secure, its equal involvement in the game of big dollar diplomacy can not be underestimated. To prove its dominance, it has waged a campaign aimed at the strangulation of Taiwan. Never again, if China has it way, will Taiwan ever be accorded membership or recognition within the United Nations.

But then, taking into consideration the various lessons which we have learned from world history and that of empires gone by (most recently the Soviet Union), there may yet be hope for Taiwan. But this hope, the hope to attain its sovereignty, will not come from the pursuit of policies in which exorbitant financial sums are given to ministers of government in Developing countries such as St Lucia. Rather than moving closer towards its goals, the Taiwanese government may very well find itself being taken advantage of by ministers who seek to profit financially from their determined efforts to attain its independence.

Sovereignty, which is the ability to govern ones territory, and to be free from all external control is an inalienable right which no money can buy. With a downturn in economic fortunes around the world and more nations becoming venerable to this growing recession, the possibility for social and political unrest in mostly totalitarian nations and even in some democratic ones around the world can’t be ignored. Human beings can only be pushed to a certain extent and be denied certain basic fundamental rights for a limited period. For China, the time to bring about reform in terms of human rights is long over due. For certainly, no one can deny that within China there is a growing current of unrest in that country predating the events in Tiananmen Square. In fact, on every turn since Tiananmen Square, the communist party of China have found themselves extremely busy trying to put out social fires in some very diverse and social and politically repressed hot spots around the country.

The victor in all of this in the event that the communist party ever falls one day could well be the government of Taiwan and its 21 million people. From as early as 1987 they have committed themselves to a process of democratic reforms that began with the lifting of Chiang Kai-Sheks Martial Law, and the introduction of elections that are held within a multiparty system of government since 1992. In addition, ever since the death of Chiang Kai-Shek in 1975, we have seen a record number of indigenous Taiwanese move to the fore in order to participate and assist in the management of their country. And even those of pure Chinese blood whose parents arrived with Chiang Kai-Shek, being born in Taiwan after 1949, proudly identifying themselves today as Taiwanese.

Arguably, and regardless of my personal politics or dissatisfaction with the concomitant circumstances of the Taiwanese enrichment of the ministerial rank and file of our government, the fact remains that Taiwan has had all of the trappings of a modern state that may well outlive the communist empire on the mainland. It’s respect for human rights, and an on going effort to broaden its democracy  is what, in my humble opinion, has placed it (Taiwan) ahead of China.

Now, we do not have to be red or yellow, to remember our own experience of colonialism, and to recognize and respect a people’s right to self-determination. But surely, we can demand of the Taiwanese government, that in their quest to gain their own sovereignty or autonomy from mainland China, they do not infringe upon the sanctity of our democracy and sovereignty by constantly pandering to narrow political interest and financial need of ministers in the St Lucia government.

The Republic Of China (Taiwan) has an opportunity to build a long and lasting relationship with the people of St Lucia. A relationship that will last way past this current United Workers Party administration or any other political organization in the country for that matter. Taiwan should focus on winning the minds and hearts of our people instead of filing the pockets or feathering the financial nest of individual politicians whose time in politics will eventually come to an end.

The content of our histories may differ a little, but our experience of occupation and being made to feel like second-class citizens in our country remain the same. Therefore, it is on that one single principle that we must stand together as one. And so, having stated the above, I would like to wish the people of Taiwan the best of luck. For if not today, but tomorrow, one can certainly look forward to burying the protracted history of struggle and bitter memories of Moa Tse-Tung and Chiang Kai-Shek for power, not only in Asia, but on our shores. Only this time, money will not be the only driving factor in the attainment of sovereignty, or in the exchange of diplomatic relations between our country and theirs.