The Association of World Citizens is about empowering citizens and fighting for justice. It has a message for the Tai Ji Men case, too.
by Chen Tze-Lung*
*Introduction and conclusion of the conference “Looking at the Development of Human Rights in Taiwan from the February 28 Incident and the White Terror to the Tai Ji Men Case,” hosted by the National Memorial Hall of February 28 and the Taiwan Association for Financial Criminal Law Study, Taipei, ROC, March 5, 2023.
The National 228 Memorial Museum accurately portrays the sorrowful history of Taiwan’s authoritarian period, which is very enlightening for current human rights education. I have served myself as a director at the February 28 Incident Memorial Foundation. My topic today is: “How to move from being ‘small people of the old generation’ to becoming ‘world citizens of the new era.’”
Firstly, why do we still consider ourselves “small people” to this day, even unable to meet the basic requirements of “citizen” status? Why does being “small people” entail so much suffering? It is because their personalities have been denied by many regimes over the years, often leading to persecution, false cases, and wrongful accusations. On the other hand, “small people” are also involved in the victim issues of world wars.
Thus, the starting point of my topic today is the “world citizen mindset” of the United NationsECOSOC-accredited NGO Association of World Citizens, hoping to bring about significant changes to our domestic human rights concepts.
Firstly, we must thank Mr. René Wadlow, the President of the United Nations NGO Association of World Citizens, and Dr. Hong Tao-Tze, its Vice President, for their joint promotion of “love and peace” through practical actions. They have invested a lot of time and effort with significant effects, something many people in our country cannot achieve. This is also a status we cannot achieve with our domestic Constitution and laws. Although Article 7 of our Constitution stipulates that the people of the Republic of China, regardless of race, class, or party, are equal before the law theoretically, equality might seem achievable domestically only. However, when facing international disputes, it is hard to ensure legal equality. Facing and resolving these dispute issues obviously requires a perspective beyond our domestic constitution, a world citizen mindset.
Taiwan certainly has a Constitution, but it has not fully implemented the principles of international human rights laws. We should thank President René Wadlow and Vice President Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze for their contributions over the years, leading Taiwan into a “new generation mindset.” To open the hearts of people and governments in Taiwan and around the world to this “world citizen mindset,” and then step by step, turn it into action, is an arduous mission that is being undertaken tirelessly around the world, almost without rest, 365 days a year. For this, President René Wadlow and Vice President Dr. HongTao-Tze deserve the highest respect.
It is necessary to mention a great woman at this juncture, honored specifically on March 3rd this year at the Taipei International Convention Center (TICC), during the “Golden Phoenix Flies Across the Universe, Illuminating the Light of Hope – Memorial Concert for Gratitude and Blessing” held in memory of Madam Yu Mei-Jung, the wife of Tai Ji Men’s Shifu. She also served as the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee of the UN-accredited NGO Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL). She is not only a role model for women worldwide but also an exemplar for the global citizen movement. She elevated the people of Taiwan to the status of “world citizens” and made Taiwan visible and understood worldwide. Here, we extend our highest respects to Madam Yu Mei-Jung.
Today, Taiwan’s human rights situation indeed surpasses many other countries, as many nations remain focused on domestic human rights without advancing to the international stage. Thanks to the efforts of Vice President Dr. Hong Tao-Tze and Madam Yu Mei-Jung, who tirelessly promoted the concept of world citizenship across the globe, Taiwan is recognized as a beautiful island representing world citizens. Furthermore, their work in promoting the rights of taxpayers is commendable. We pay tribute to Madam Yu Mei-Jung for her lifelong dedication and efforts, which have helped us achieve equality, democracy, freedom, the right of love and be loved, peace, security, and human rights. Her efforts have brought great strength to the people of Taiwan and world citizens. We are grateful for her contributions and wish everyone peace, health, happiness, and joy.
This tribute is not only for Madam Yu Mei-Jung but also for every member who has participated in the Association of World Citizens and has become a world citizen through her actions. We express our respect and encouragement to the Association of World Citizens and all its members worldwide.
The second point: today, we discuss an “open and closed mindset” issue, that is, the “closed mindset, large power holders, and methods of competing with them.”
“Closed mindset” individuals often possess significant power, even controlling the life and freedom of others. How to counteract these powerful individuals is a matter of fairness and justice. As “small people,” it seems we can only protect and fight for our human rights through “the last line of defense for human rights; the judiciary” domestically. However, our judiciary is very inadequate, and judicial reform has not been based on human rights, hence failing to effectively defend them.
I just met Mr. Pan Xinxing in the VIP room, the son of Dr. Pan Muzhi, a victim of the February 28 Incident. When I served as a director at the February 28 Foundation, I worked with Mr. Pan Xinxing. His father, Dr. Pan Muzhi, was brutally executed at Chiayi Train Station, and his second brother was shot dead while trying to rescue their father. His brother and sister have been tormented by mental illness all their lives after witnessing the bloody event of February 28. This is the blood-stained reality of Taiwan’s authoritarian history, so we must truly cherish our human rights and democracy.
Human rights are precious, and the “small people,” or “small potatoes,” suffer oppression by many politicians and are the most vulnerable group in wars, which is the source of people’s pain. In contrast, the so-called “big people,” or “big cheese,” are the controllers of the “hierarchy of authority” system, wielding “power” and “money.” However, these “big people” deny the concept of equality at birth, lacking empathy and compassion, leading to a mindset of “rogue bureaucrats.” Therefore, facing these “big people” who deny human rights is essential worldwide, necessitating both ideological and practical counteractions.
The Association of World Citizens, a United Nations ECOSOC-accredited NGO, was established in the United States in 1975. In 1988, then-President Douglas Mattern and representatives of peace from various countries visited Moscow to meet with Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, the General Secretary of the Soviet Union’s Communist Party at the time, to stress the importance of nuclear disarmament, indirectly leading to an agreement between the US and the Soviet Union to reduce nuclear weapons.
The civic movement aims to confront these “big people” and thus eliminate war. Therefore, the Association of World Citizens is an NGO of significant historical importance and practical achievements. To resolve wars and such issues, a higher perspective is indeed required.
Next, we need to discuss equality, the concept that everyone is equal in terms of human rights. Achieving “equality” is not easy; our democracy is actually built upon it. Thus, domestically, we are making efforts, albeit limited; internationally, the efforts seem boundless and capable of real change.
The third point pertains to the issue of “mindset,” which we will discuss in three parts. First: regardless of skin colour, stance on unification or independence, nationality, or political ideology, how can we elevate ourselves to the dimension of “human rights”? More specifically, how can we elevate ourselves to the mindset of “world citizens” who are treated equally? This is a grand and lofty mindset, making it very important.
Second: within the country, a minority fights for power and profit, not only lacking a “human” perspective but also stooping to the role of “rogue bureaucrats.” They represent an old era of power control and suppression of others. So, how do we make these rogue bureaucrats aware of their narrow-mindedness? Engaging in legal and tax reform is indeed a significant task of the “world citizen era,” as it is a battle fought by those with a higher perspective against those with a limited or no perspective. The Control Yuan has aptly described the misconduct of these bureaucrats as “disqualification,” meaning a loss of integrity or perspective.
Third: engaging in this movement is a confrontation between those with a perspective and those without one. Comparing the two, it is essentially about perspective: one represents the elevation of a new era’s mindset, while the other signifies the decline of an old era’s mindset. Hence, we understand that legal and tax reform is truly a human rights movement, a positive energy fighting against negative energy, from those with a perspective against those without one.
The fourth point concludes with “Love and being loved can change the way of thinking.” Because “love and being loved” can change human destiny and it is only through actual engagement that fundamental changes can occur. The chaos in the world stems from a lack of love. With love and being loved, a so-called butterfly effect, a chain reaction, is generated. Therefore, the concept of citizenship proposed by the Association of World Citizens, along with the real concept of equality, proves effective.
This should be a significant point worldwide, especially in Taiwan. This includes the current and former presidents of Taiwan, whose perspectives could still be elevated to this point. Entering into the 2024 new era of world citizenship, they could provide a forward-looking guide to human rights in Taiwan.
Those who participate in this conference share a significant consensus on the important concept that “saving others is saving ourselves.” Therefore, it is crucial to speak the truth and take action to facilitate change.
Without a foundation, a building cannot be constructed; without evidence, a criminal case cannot be established; similarly, without evidence, a tax case cannot be substantiated. In Taiwan, the lack of foundational evidence in criminal and tax cases has led to numerous false prosecutions, reminiscent of the White Terror incidents. Cases like Tai Ji Men’s criminal and tax cases, which tormented Tai Ji Men and its Shifu and dizi as well as related legal and tax personnel for ten and 28 years, respectively, are akin to the White Terror false cases.
For the February 28 Incident, the torment of victims and their families lasted for 77 years; the Lin Yi-Hsiung family massacre tormented the related individuals for 44 years. Therefore, Taiwan is at a critical juncture for the exoneration of false cases.
Without evidence, creating falsehoods to deprive people of their right to live, freedom, and property rights is the greatest evil to human decency. Thus, we must “seriously eliminate falsehoods!”
Allowing the persecutors to continue presenting their justifications for persecution, utterly ignoring the creation of false cases from nothing, is not only an evil from the outset but is also not indicative of a fair and just society, nor of a civic society, much less a society that embodies world citizenship.
Hence, the Tai Ji Men case that started on December 19, 1996, where the persecutors still exist and manipulate behind the scenes, rendering Taiwan an unjust society, is unimaginable and shocking from today’s world citizens’ perspective.
In 2020, the creators of Tai Ji Men’s false cases still dominated the enforcement and the auction, significantly affecting the redress of Tai Ji Men’s case.
World citizens of the new era must embody righteousness, logic, rationality, and science, and cannot allow Tai Ji Men’s false cases to continue, not even for a day.
From the perspective of international world citizens, the continuation of these false cases cannot be tolerated and should be rectified immediately. Redressing false cases is the right, duty, and responsibility of world citizens and the people of Taiwan.
Finally, we know that the exoneration of false cases involves issues of corruption and greed, possibly due to financial reasons. The inability to declassify the February 28 Incident also involves financial issues, not just about the surface-level persecutors but those behind them who profited. The inability to rectify the February 28 Incident for 77 years and the Tai Ji Men case are due to underlying financial issues, including informants and insiders. Thus, these issues are of utmost importance.
Therefore, rectifying false cases is a significant mission for righteous individuals to combat evil. On March 5, 2024, let us ensure human rights reach their most fundamental and truest core, using “truth” to break the “falsehoods,” without compromise, resolving old cases for the present and future. We must resist, not compromise, speak the truth, and maintain “No more silence,” not just by being generically vocal but by speaking the truth.