Controls Becoming Normal: When the Pandemic Slows Down, Can Democracy Indeed Return?

Controls Becoming Normal: When the Pandemic Slows Down, Can Democracy Indeed Return?

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

May 7, 2020

 Translation of an Excerpt

As the pandemic situation in Taiwan has completed 100 days, no confirmed domestic cases have been reported for over 20 days. The society is filled with sentiments of expecting the lifting of the various bans. Many are asphyxiated because of the economy and social distancing; they have had a hard time both materially and emotionally, being anxious that the bans be lifted as early as possible. However, Chen Shi-chung, commander of the Central Epidemic Command Center, indicated to seek a balance between the pandemic situation and the economy, the top premise for letting society operate routinely is "normalize controls".

"Normalizing controls" is of course at loggerheads with a democratic system. In a pandemic crisis, the people on their own initiative forsake part of their personal freedom of movement for the sake of the public’s health as a whole; unexpectedly this has helped the growth of the special powers on the part of the rulers-that-be.

"Controls becoming normal" is not only about laws and regulations or technical questions, but also what hinges on the whole matter is whither would democracy be in the post-pandemic era. The powers-that-be utilize a crisis to encroach on the rights of the people. As long as the people compromise due to fear, the controls will be with us for a long time; the powers-that-be may even in the days ahead, under the pretext of various natural disasters or man-made calamities, such as economic, military, or environment, to expand at will the "normalized controls". Under such circumstances, wouldn't democracy be “non-normal”?

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