Because I would eventually attempt to run for office, I visited Taiwan with some of my schoolmates when the Taiwanese were holding their democratic presidential election this year. If you know some Chinese history, you would have loved to go with me, you would have also wanted to witness this presidential election in which, for the first time in the 5000 years of Chinese civilization, the ruling party would actually have the chance to be ousted. (Both Mainland China (People's Republic of China) and Taiwan (Republic of China) claim that they are the legitimate Chinese governments.)
I arrived in Taipei one month before the election day. The first thing I saw after stepping out of the airport was a big picture of one of the candidates. Not surprisingly, the second thing that came into my sight was a picture of another candidate. There were a total of five competing candidates and three of them had been dominating the polls. A parade of flags was hung on the street and there were numerous banners of all sorts of sizes displayed on the walls of buildings. Thanks to the political parties, much color and substance were added to the city and I was constantly reminded of the election while I was touring. My favorite souvenir from the trip was a little cute model of one of the candidates, who happened to be the one finally elected.
On my way to a hotel, I was astonished that a taxi driver was able to tell me everything about the candidates, from their policies to their personalities. After I turned on the television in my room, I understood why the taxi driver was so knowledgeable. Two-thirds of the channels were occupied by election-related programs. No matter what time I switched on the TV, I would see a heated debate about the presidential election. Sometimes, there would be interviews of the candidates. Sometimes, the reporters would be questioning the representatives of different parties. Sometimes, I would see fierce debates between groups of analysts and professionals on current affairs. Sometimes, I would see some actors acting as candidates making fun of each other. However, what I would not find was a time when I was not hearing issues pertaining to the election. Even when I was watching cartoons at night, propaganda was shown every fifteen minutes. This phenomenon was absolutely novel to me.
At first, I thought that the Taiwanese were manic. Why were they so enthusiastic about the election? As I chatted with people in restaurants or public transports, the reason was gradually unveiled. A lot of factors contributed to stirring up the enthusiasm, such as the military threat and political pressure imposed by mainland China and the closeness of the popularity of the three main candidates, which was continuously revealed by surveys. The most crucial factor was the fact that the Taiwanese were so proud of their election, as it was the best manifestation of the successful implementation of democracy in Taiwan. They possessed not only the inviolable right to vote, but also the attitude of treasuring it. Democracy might not be the best political system, but it is undoubtedly something much better than Taiwan's original single-party politics. After all, only a democratic election can possibly kick out the current party, which has held power since the establishment of Taiwan sovereignty, and bring the opposition party to the government office. Will democracy flourish in Hong Kong? It is hard to predict, but Taiwan has certainly been a successful precursor of establishing a non-authoritarian political system on Chinese soil.
This same year, there will also be a presidential election held in the United States, a country admired as a buttress of democracy. As incredible as it sounds, I am lucky enough to now be studying in Boston, and there is only one week left before the new U.S. President is elected. Can you imagine how delighted I was when I found out that I would experience the presidential election in the U.S.? I expected the election to be of an even higher class than the one held in Taiwan, in terms of the public discussion of the policies, the coverage of the mass communications and, most profoundly, the attitude of the voters.
However, I am disappointed. I might have expected too much, but probably not. I am unsatisfied not because I cannot see a parade of banners and thousands of flyers, but because of the altitude of Americans towards the election.
Who will lead the U.S. into the 21st century? It is impossible to foresee right now because it is as if each of the two major contenders is sharing half of the votes. Nevertheless, it is not who will win the election that matters, because no matter who wins, this person is the choice of the nation. What matters is the public's involvement in the election, since that is the point of having a democratic election. Sadly, that is what Americans appear to be unable to achieve . A lot of Americans are apathetic about the election and do not even take it seriously. When you turn on the television, you can still see a number of programs that refer to the election, such as sitcoms, talk shows and commercial advertisements. However, the candidates are figures that people laugh at, and are the subject of rational discussions. Sitcoms and talk shows like the Tonight Show, The Late Show and Saturday Night Live tell many jokes that directly disparage the candidates and the election. There is an 'interesting' chocolate bar advertisement that I have seen, which is typical of the ads that show no respect to the candidates or the election. The ad depicts George W. Bush as a clumsy elephant who can only make impotent speeches with a strong Texas accent. He mentions his father's name in every sentence of all his remarks. The only good thing about the ad is that it is fair, as Al Gore, too, cannot escape from being portrayed as a clown.
Besides, nearly every student I have talked to has told me not to vote for Bush. (I am not eligible to vote.) This sentiment is acceptable as long as the reasons behind it are sound. But the reasons that people offer are that he is stupid, he comes from Texas, he does not speak English and so on, but no one looks closely at his policies. I can hardly see any thorough analysis shown on television either. When the Americans are laughing hard, they do not realize that they are also laughing away their invaluable time that can be used to discuss the policies properly. They miss their opportunity to make a well-informed decision to choose their own leader and government. Democracy does not come easily but can slip away or deteriorate easily. If the voters do not make an effort to understand the policies and the candidates or even do not take a walk to the voting place, they will have no right to regret and rebuff when the outcome of the election is unfavorable.
When I was little, I used to dream about being the Governor of Hong Kong, because I did not even understand that I was under the colonial rule of Britain. Later I realized that I had no right to vote and no chance to run for office. If you have been given these rights since the day you were born, I will tell you that you are lucky.
