Lin Chuan's Prophecy of White Terror

 Lin Chuan's Prophecy of White Terror

China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)

February 24, 2017

 Translation of an Except

In an interpellation session in the Legislative Yuan (LY), a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator proposed to restrict by law visits of retired ROC generals to the Mainland, recommending that retired general officers from the rank of major general and above should be under control for life. He said that if they should fail to apply in accordance with the provisions and took the liberty to travel to the Mainland, they would be penalized by a minimum fine of NT$ 1 million and a maximum fine of NT$ 5 million. Furthermore, he recommended that these retired generals be stripped of their pension and other allowances for violation of obligated loyalty to the state. In reply, Premier Lin Chuan said, "The stipulations should be concrete; they could not be too loose or all encompassing." Otherwise, Lin said it could be criticized as "another kind of White Terror." Watching this dialogue of interpellation and reply, it looks like they are ready to move against the retired generals!

In consideration of national security, with the exception of a few departed or retired officials grasping key intelligence information who should be restricted for a certain period of time, the government fundamentally has no authority to intervene in the words and deeds of departed or retired officials. In particular, the proposed legislation would invoke executive power to pursue and penalize, whether in the form of imposing fines or control for life, even the stripping of pension, would all be inappropriate approaches. At that time, if the affected retired generals should pursue administrative litigation, or even seek a judicial review of the Constitutionality of the proposed legislation, this statute would face a controversy over its Constitutionality.

A legislative act harboring an evil idea is witnessing the ruling party's diffidence and lack of self-confidence! In the proponent’s mindset exists a perverted mentality of "those who are not in my tribe must have a different heart", tolerating no criticism, knowing only to scrutinize the loyalty of one’s own people, and creating enemies in society. While at the same time they attack people different from themselves in order to obtain a temporary and illusionary sense of security, even at the risk of infringing on human rights, restricting personal liberty, depriving private property in violation of the Constitution, all because their words and deeds do not conform with the official ideology. The important point is that this is not only a prophecy. The script of the DPP legislator’s interpellation and Lin Chuan’s reply at the LY foretells all this will soon become a reality. 

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