Taiwan Church News
3308 Edition
July 20 – 26, 2015
Editorial
Hurray For What?
On July 19, Ms Hung Hsiu-chu was finally approved by the national congress of the Chinese Nationalist Party(KMT) as her President candidate in 2016. Except some ex-communicated party memberers protested outside of the congress, there was still loud hurray celebrating the new queen was delivered to carry on waving the flag of “ultimate unification” with China. In the mean time, when this nomination approval news was released by the media, the pro-independence groups also expressed their jubilant hurray, because a landslide victory of Ms Tsai Ing-wen in the impending 2016 Presidential election seemed just around the corner. The movement of Taiwan independence was in a hurray to see the crack of dawn!
As it is strongly felt in Taiwan society that Ms Tsai Ing-wen could easily win this Presidential election, more and more people including prominent Christian leaders started to show their support for Tsai just like “the bandwagon effect” explained. But some other Christians also stood by Tsai, fighting for justice and building a new and independent country, what they have are the determination to suffer in a long period of time. In recent days, it seems that many church leaders, used to be politics-allergic stressing an absolute separation between church and state, start to jump up on the bandwagon to recieve the applauds from the crowd. This scene satirically reminds us the story of Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem with jubilant crowds, imaging their lost fame and wealth would be restored back by this new king.
In the 2016 calendar, printed by Taiwan Church Press, the layout of each month picks one Taiwan fruit to match one fruit of the Spirit indicated in Galatians 5:22-23. For example, “watermelon” is chosen to match “peace”, implying that doing anything with a fair spirit, either in private life or in public spheres, would always deliver us blessings of peace. Just like slicing the watermelon halves, better the bigger half is distributed to those who deserve a fair share than to those who always take advantages of others to serve their greed.
Instead of accusing the people, who support Ms Tsai Ing-wen to become our President, have an unfair spirit to harvest the very likely victory and glory, we urge our compatriots hold onto our initial common ideal more critically and persistently. The reason, why we stand by Tsai Ing-wen, is not she is the most likely one to win the impending President election in 2016, but that she is the most capable candidate to fulfill our dream of a new and independent Taiwan country full of fairness and justice! Therefore, we give our utmost hurray and salute to her.
The 2016 Presidential Election in Taiwan is critical for the following issues: Whether the future of Taiwan goes toward more democratic or ruled of law? Whether the distribution of wealth could be more equal? Whether all the illegitimate KMT property could be confisticated and given back to the people? When we prefer to tell the story of “Nathan condemns David”, we have to reflect how much we have paid for the arrival of the justice? In the Taiwan Church Press calendar, printed with kinds of “Fruit of Life”, olive is chosen to stand for justice as it could be cracked to release oil for lamp. When the flame was kindled by oilve oil, justice would be illuminated and darkness invisible.
Beside the Presidential Election in 2016, the election of congress members is also highly important as it will decide whether the interest of the giant corporations or that of the people will be served. These would-be congress members play the role like the agents of justice. If what we hurray for is a fair and just society, which will be arrived soon but not yet, then we should not care only about who would be the winner(s).
