Let’s See When "Anti-Green Antibodies" of Social Movements Grow?

 Let’s See When "Anti-Green Antibodies" of Social Movements Grow?

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

December 26, 2017

 Translation of an Excerpt

Labor groups and students launched a march against the bad amendments to the Labor Standards Act at the end of last year. The march encountered endless confrontations, and the crowds would not disband after being dispelled, igniting several clashes with the police; it was even reported that some lawyers were arrested and some from the crowds were taken in police vans to far flung areas and released. The protestors said "we are in distress and despair"; this statement expressed not only the bad flip-flopping of amending the law, but even more so the grievances of being betrayed. From this event, we seemingly detect the inklings that the social movement and the DPP are parting ways.

The focal point of this protest was not so much on the main stage, but rather the outburst outside the main stage. Especially, after the organizers declared that the event would be disbanded at 6 pm, some agitated protestors still refused to disperse and continued to protest in the streets, occupying the streets and blocking vehicular traffic.

These protestors were mostly college students, graduate students and social movement youth; these angry youth with “anti-Green antibodies” could possibly become the new elements for the next generation of social movement, bringing substantive change to Taiwan's social movement characterized by "anti-KMT but not anti-DPP."

There have been three turnovers of ruling parties; whether in the labor movement, the social movement or the environment movement, they should jettison the ossified thinking of "anti-Blue but not anti-Green," regaining their autonomy. Otherwise, they would be denigrated into tools to be used by politics. In fact, from the “Gong-de Yuan” stickers incident, we can see the sprouting of a generation with "anti-Green antibodies."

[Translator’s note: “Gong-de’ is a Buddhist belief refering to rendering services for free or donating cash in expectation of a reward in either this life or the next. “Yuan” is one of the five branches of government under the ROC Constitution. Because Premier Lai Ching-te used “Gong-de” when asked about the low wages for long-term care services for the elderly, saying “Let’s consider that as performing Gong-te,” he has been lambasted and ridiculed even to today. The incident refers to angry citizens placing stickers printed with “Gong-de Yuan” with sarcastic reference to the Executive Yuan (Cabinet) which Lai Ching-te heads.]

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