Book Review: Taiwan’s Green Parties

Taiwan’s Green Parties: Alternative Politics in Taiwan, by Dafydd Fell

My review of Dafydd Fell’s book Taiwan’s Green Parties was published in the Asia Pacific Greens newsletter. Also of note, the Asia Pacific Greens have issued a statement which expresses strong support for Taiwan’s sovereignty. Read the full statement.

Taiwan’s Green Parties is a thorough history of Green Party Taiwan (GPT) since its formation in 1996. The plural form of parties in the title refers to the splinter party, Trees Party, that formed in 2014 and the Social Democratic Party which formed short-lived alliances with the Green Party in the 2016 elections. While these other parties also contribute to the fabric of progressive politics and social movements in Taiwan, the main focus of the book is on the GPT. 

The GPT formed in 1996, the same year that Taiwan held its first presidential election. Some would consider this the date that Taiwan became a full democracy. Hence, the GPT can be considered to be one of the parties that has been a constant participant in Taiwan’s electoral democracy. This is significant because although Taiwan’s politics is dominated by two major parties there have been many third parties that have risen and fallen over time. Although the GPT may have had less electoral success than some other third parties, it has still had an important place in Taiwan’s political landscape. 

The book focuses on three key areas: electoral performance, media visibility and international engagement. It is perhaps the latter where the GPT have been most successful. Fell writes of the visit of Penny Kemp of the Green Party of Wales and England to Taiwan in 1996 soon after the party was formed. This was during the Taiwan Strait Missile Crisis and the visit represented a strong show of support for Taiwan’s democracy at the time. 

Bob Brown visited Taiwan in May 1996 which led to the development of an Asia-Pacific Greens network. There have been ongoing ties between the Australian Greens and the GPT. Taiwan hosted the Asia-Pacific Greens Congress in 2010 with Bob Brown in attendance. 

Although the GPT has had limited electoral success it has been at the forefront of activism for numerous causes. The prominence of various issues in the party’s campaigns have often reflected the key issues of social movements in Taiwan. In its early days the party was focused on anti-nuclear and environmental issues. Since 2010 the party has nominated a number of LGBT candidates. These candidates have played a prominent role in the GPT’s campaigns and LGBT issues have become a policy priority for the GPT. Taiwan eventually legislated for same-sex marriage in 2019. What was once a marginal issue had become accepted by the mainstream. 

GPT have been innovative in campaigning. In some ways this may be a response to a lack of resources, but it also in part reflects their values. GPT were the first party to campaign by riding bicycles. Although other parties later followed this trend, for the GPT it reflected that their members already rode bicycles regularly, not just for the purpose of political campaigning. The GPT was also innovative in the use of social media. This enabled them to reach a large audience without having to spend large amounts of money. 

The book delves into the details of the party’s electoral campaigns and in doing so reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the party. Lack of continuity in candidates has been a problem with most candidates only contesting one election. Electoral wins are more likely if candidates build support and name recognition over multiple elections. 

Another important point is balancing the tension between staying true to the party’s values while being able to gain enough votes to win elections. The GPT has often opted for ideological purity over political pragmatism which has placed a limit on its ability to win votes. It has on occasion foregone chances to cooperate with or support the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in order to remain true to the ideals of its members. Fell notes that one of the more successful third parties in recent years, the New Power Party, has been able to successfully balance its relationship with the DPP. The GPT needs to be able to find that balance point. 

Fell’s study is comprehensive and contains many details of the relatively short history of Green politics in Taiwan. He ends with recommendations for the future of the GPT. Some of the recommendations are quite general and could apply to any political party. For example, expanding the membership base and building a sound financial base with regular donations. Although the GPT has not had the level of electoral success that it aspires to, it is notable for its persistence as other third parties in Taiwan have tended to fade away as their success has been dependent on personalities or their ideologies have lost electoral support. Whether or not the GPT experiences electoral success in the near future, they will still be an important force in promoting critical environmental and social issues in Taiwan.

Taiwan Studies conference at ANU

I’ve just spent the past week in Canberra attending a Taiwan Studies conference at Australian National University (ANU). The conference titled “Taiwan: The View from the South” was hosted by the Australian Centre on China in the World. The conference brought together scholars from Australia, Taiwan and other countries

It was the first time that I had been involved in a Taiwan related academic activity in Australia. It was great to renew some of my connections with Taiwan, especially meeting with my supervisor Dr David Blundell. It was also a good opportunity to learn more about the work being done in the field of Taiwan Studies in Australia.

One of the highlights of the conference was screenings of films by Tsai Ming-liang followed by Q&A with Tsai, moderated and translated by Linda Jaivin. Tsai’s film “Stray Dogs” screened to a full house. The second night of screenings featured two short films, “No Form” and “The Skywalk is Gone”.

Keynote speeches by Australia’s two leading Taiwan scholars challenged the audience to think about new ways of understanding Taiwan. Emeritus Professor Bruce Jacobs examined Taiwan’s history in terms of colonialism. Dr Mark Harrison took an epistemological approach looking at the role of storytelling in creating narratives of Taiwan’s development.

At the conference there was discussion about establishing an Australia and New Zealand Taiwan Studies Association. This would complement similar organisations in Europe and North America. The conference showed that there is a strong Taiwan Studies community in Australia and a more formal organisation would only help to further promote it.

New book: Taiwan Since Martial Law

Taiwan Since Martial Law: Society, Culture, Politics, Economy
David Blundell (Editor)
NTU Press, Taipei, 2012

A few days ago I received a long awaited package from Taiwan in the mail. It contained copies of a new book, Taiwan Since Martial Law: Society, Culture, Politics, Economy.

I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the book because it contains a chapter I wrote titled, “Nation vs. Tradition: Indigenous Rights and Smangus.” The chapter is based on the research I did for my thesis in the Masters of Taiwan Studies program at National Chengchi University (NCCU).

While it is great to finally hold the book in my hands it is important to acknowledge the great amount of work that went into its production. Thanks must go to David Blundell for his tireless work as the editor. Many others were also involved in the project. The quality of the final product shines through in the beautiful artwork and design on the cover.

I feel quite honoured to have my work published alongside well known Taiwan scholars including Michael Hsiao, Ann Heylen and Jon Sullivan. Several of my classmates from the Taiwan Studies program at NCCU also contributed chapters to the book.

25 years have passed since the end martial law in Taiwan. In more human terms this period of time is a generation. The most obvious development in this time is Taiwan’s transformation from an authoritarian regime to a democracy. Taiwan’s democratic trajectories are outlined by Bo Tedards in the opening essay of the book. Tedards writes that “the process has not been a linear one, and nor is it quite complete.”

The process of democratisation is further explored in articles such as Jonathan Sullivan’s on election campaigning and Gary and Ming-yeh Rawnsley’s article on the media in democratic Taiwan. Human rights are addressed in Daniel Bowman’s chapter comparing the human rights policies of Ma Ying-jeou and Chen Shui-bian. Janet Tan looks at the need for a civil rights protection system.

The lifting of martial law not only created the political space for democracy to develop; it also brought about a renaissance as peoples rediscovered their identities and relocated themselves in the environmental space of Taiwan. Ann Heylen’s chapter discusses the “greening” of Taiwan history – the emergence of new historical narratives based around Pingpu identity, and the 228 Massacre and White Terror. Al Chung-chieh Wu looks at the emergence of a Hakka ethnic movement. Constance Woods details the resurgence of local identity in her case study of the Beitou Hot Springs Museum.

The book also contains several chapters on Taiwan’s indigenous peoples. In addition to my chapter on Smangus, Jackson Hu looks at how the Yami of Orchid Island have used memory of place to revitalise their cultural knowledge. Yayoi Mitsuda describes how the Thao people were the first new indigenous group to gain official recognition in 2001 ending the “nine tribes” classification that had dominated for almost a century.

I have not mentioned all the contributors and will leave it to those who read the book to discover more. My recommendation is of course biased, but I hope this book will help people better understand the diverse and vibrant society of contemporary Taiwan. It will also serve as a useful textbook for any student of Taiwan Studies.

Farewell to Formosa

It is more than a decade since I first came to Taiwan. During that time Taiwan has played a big part in my life, but my time there has finally come to an end and I am returning to Australia. This news may come as a surprise to some readers of this blog, but I have spent the past few weeks meeting with and saying goodbye to friends in Taipei and Taichung.

These past few years in Taiwan have been a rich learning experience. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to study at National Chengchi University (NCCU) where I completed a Master’s degree in Taiwan Studies. Dr David Blundell gave me some great guidance in the process of writing my thesis. David is currently editing a book titled Taiwan Since Martial Law. I have written a chapter for the book based on my thesis research and it should be published in the next few months. I will post the details of the book on this blog when it is available.

After graduating from NCCU I went to work at the Research Centre for Austronesian Peoples at Providence University. This gave me the chance to spend some more time in Smangus and to get to know the community of Marqwang in the rear mountain area of Jianshi Township. I have also visited a number of other indigenous communities around Taiwan with Dr Lin Yih-ren and thank him for his guidance and support. I must also thank Lahuy Icyeh, Watan Talu, Neqo Soqluman and Wang Hsin-han for their help over the last year.

In these past few years Venerable Chao Hwei (昭慧法師) has been very supportive and helpful. I will never forget her generosity in hosting the INEB Conference at Honghsi College in 2007. She also invited me to participate in the campaign against the Penghu casino and subsequently observe the referendum in Penghu. I have also participated in several conferences that she organised and other events at Hongshi College (佛教弘誓學院). I really must thank all the people at Hongshi College for everything they have done.

There are also many other friends and classmates who I have met during my time in Taiwan. There are lots of great people here and thank you to all of them for their friendship.

Some people have asked me if this blog will still be online after I leave Taiwan. I plan to keep this blog online for the foreseeable future and I will even continue to write the occasional post about various Taiwan related topics. I will of course be closely following the news from Taiwan over the next six months in the lead up to the legislative and presidential elections.

Approaching storms and millet harvest in Smangus

I went on a trip to Smangus this week. I carefully checked the weather forecast on Sunday night before I left. I was aware that Tropical Storm Lionrock and the low pressure system to the northwest of Taiwan would influence the weather during the week. However, it seemed unlikely that either of them would directly impact Taiwan. By the time I arrived in Smangus on Monday afternoon the potential tracks of the storms had changed. The low pressure system had been upgraded to a tropical storm named Namtheun and was heading for the north of Taiwan.

On Tuesday morning someone told me the police at the Xiuluan checkpoint had called several times suggesting that I leave the village. I asked a few people in the village for their advice and they didn’t seem too worried. At that stage there had only been a little light rain.  I decided to stay because I know that Smangus is a safe place. The most dangerous place to be during a typhoon is the roads and rivers. Travelling down the mountain in the middle of a torrential downpour would certainly be more dangerous than staying in the village.

Anyway with a possible storm approaching the people of Smangus took the opportunity to harvest the final field of millet for the season. A film crew from PTS (公共電視台) were there to film the harvesting for use in a documentary they are making about Smangus.

I have used some photos of the harvesting to illustrate to this blog post. The group of about twenty people moved slowly through the field. They worked efficiently but never seemed to rush.

Soon all the millet was in bundles like the one pictured above. It was then loaded onto a truck and taken back to the village. It was stored in a shed, although they will put the millet outside to dry when it is sunny.

The impending storms never eventuated. There was some rain while I was staying in the village, but nothing serious. By Wednesday morning there was bright sunshine.

Ethnoecology workshop at Smangus

On Sunday and Monday I attended a conference in Smangus. The conference, organized by National Chiao Tung University (國立交通大學), brought together a small group of anthropologists to discuss the topic of “Rethinking environment, localisation and indigenisation.” While it poured rain on the Sunday afternoon the cafe at provided a great refuge for the presenters gave their papers.

The presentations started with Dr Lin Yih-ren (林益仁) talking about the politics of the plan for the Maqaw National Park. The proposed national park covers a mountain area that is the traditional territory of the Atayal people. The social movement to promote the park developed through several stages. Initially indigenous people were not involved but an alliance between indigenous people and conservationists later developed. However, there was also another indigenous group that opposed the park. The plan for the park is now suspended but it has had an important influence on the development of ecotourism and laws related to indigenous peoples.

Jackson Hu’s paper on the fetish landscapes of the Theravada Buddhist communities in the China-Burma border region wasn’t able to attend to give his presentation, but presented via a PowerPoint presentation with a voice recording.

Kerim Friedman presented a paper on language rights in Taiwan. He looked at how Taiwan developed a place-based multiculturalism in the 1990s, based on Japanese ideas. This has led to a fragmentation of the local language market. For example, there are 43 different language tests for Austronesian languages, even though there are only fourteen officially recognised ethno-linguistic groups.

The next set of presentations were both about Amis communities on the east coast of Taiwan. Yi-tze Lee (李宜澤) talked about the development of organic agriculture in the Talampo community in Fuli (富里). Interestingly this community is known as the “dark village” (黑色部落) because it has no electricity, a name that was also once given to Smangus. Lee contrasted the organic farming practices of Talampo with those of the Chinese-speaking farmers on nearby Liushi Dan Mountain (六十石山).

Next was a presentation about the ‘Tolan community (都蘭) near Taitung. The spirit of the community was very much present as four of the five authors, all members of the ‘Tolan community, were involved in giving the presentation. They looked at the driftwood from Typhoon Morakot and how this sparked action among the young people in the community. Even though most of the young men live outside the village, they discussed the topic via their community website and this led to them taking action to assert their rights to the wood.

Anna Tsing who is a professor of anthropology at the University of California Santa Cruz was the final presenter. She is well known for her book Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection which looks at the forests of southern Kalimantan in Indonesia as a site for understanding the interplay of the local, provincial, national and global networks that shape the forests.

Tsing’s paper was on the subject of “blasted landscapes.” She looked at the ecological the harvesting of matsutake mushrooms in four countries. These mushrooms only grow on disturbed forest environments with poor soils. Hence they can be used to understand the ecological concept of disturbance. The disturbed landscapes the matsutake mushrooms grow on show how humans can live in disturbed environments. For example, in the US Pacific Northwest the mushrooms are picked by Vietnam War veterans and refugees from Cambodia and Laos. Going into the forests and picking the mushrooms is a form of recuperation for these people whose lives have been affected by war.

A number of members of the Smangus community joined us in the evening for Anna Tsing’s presentation and then gave their own presentations. Lahuy Icyeh introduced the Smangus community and explained how they developed their communal system of management. Then Kevan Berg, a Ph.D. student from Canada, who is currently doing fieldwork in Smangus introduced his research. His study is about landscape ethnoecology and seeks to understand the forest habitat classifications of the Atayal in Smangus. Finally the chief of Smangus, Icyeh Sulung, spoke to the group. He was very happy that the conference was being held in Smangus. He said that the development of ecotourism in Smangus was a way to share traditional knowledge about the environment and to educate people about the importance of environmental protection.

The skies were clear on Monday morning as the group set out on the hike to the Yaya Qparung, the grove of ancient cypress trees. The walk was punctuated by a number of stops along the way where Lahuy talked about the history of various sites. Although the walking trail is now lined by bamboo and forest, it was until a few decades ago being cultivated in some areas. Some evidence of this is still present.

At lunch before we left Lahuy pounded some millet for everyone to try. Accompanied by wild honey it tasted quite delicious. The photo above shows Lahuy displaying some of the different millet varieties that are grown in Smangus. Although millet is no longer a staple in their the diet the people in Smangus still grow some millet every year. One of the reasons for this is to preserve the different varieties. Currently they grow seven varieties and they plan to cultivate more in the future.

Smangus was a great location for the conference on the ethnoecology. There was a chance to learn from anthropologists studying ecologically related topics and also learn directly about traditional ecological knowledge in Smangus.

*For more photos see Kerim’s set of Smangus photos at flickr.

Deepening democracy in Asia

A forum in Taipei yesterday titled “Democracy Building in Asia” brought together experts from Taiwan, the US and Asian countries. The forum was sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) and the Institute for National Policy Research.

In one of the opening speeches John Chiang (蔣孝嚴), a Vice-Chairman of the KMT and board member of TFD, said it was timely to have the conference in Taiwan now that there have been two orderly and peaceful transitions of power and this shows that democracy can work in Asia.

Lin Wen-cheng (林文程), the President of TFD, speaking in the afternoon said that democratic countries should be more pro-active in promoting democracy in their foreign policy. Taiwan is the only country in Asia that has established a national foundation to promote democracy in the region. Lin said that other countries, especially Japan and South Korea, should establish similar organisations.

The need for greater regional efforts in promoting democracy was highlighted by the presentations of several foreign speakers. Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, President of the National Human Rights Society in Malaysia, said that Malaysia had a very good constitution that included a bill of rights when it obtained independence in 1957. However, since 1987 its democracy has been under attack. Malik emphasised the harm that had been done to the judiciary through sacking key judges who made decisions that went against the government and appointing crony judges.

Jarius Bondoc, a journalist from the Philippines, said that 67 journalists had been killed in the Philippines since 2001 and the harassment of journalists continues.

The first session in the morning was about legislative optimisation. It included talks by representatives of the Congressional/Parliamentary Research services from the US and India.

Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), a former legislator and currently Director of International Affairs for the DPP, spoke about how procedure in Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan could be improved to consolidate democracy. She identified four categories for change: (1) electoral system, (2) structure of the Legislative Yuan, (3) accountability and (4) quality of legislation.

With regard to the electoral system she said the new system, first adopted in the 2008 election, resulted in a the KMT winning a large majority with many more seats than the percentage of their vote. Small parties were also locked out by the new system. I raised a question about exactly how the system should be improved. Bi-khim replied the issue is being discussed by the DPP but there is no consensus within the party. There is also no consensus between parties on the issue.

Bi-khim also discussed how there was a need to change the committee system in the legislature. The current system offers advantages to members of certain committees who can use them to secure projects for their electorates. There is no consideration of professional skills or seniority in assigning legislators to committees. The rotation of committee chairs also leads to inconsistencies.

As well as reform of the legislature, judicial reform was the topic in the final afternoon session. Dr Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Taiwan’s former representative in Washington and now a professor at NCCU, said Taiwan has consolidated its democracy through two transitions of power, but there were still important issues that need to be resolved.

Wu highlighted the cases of the Kaohsiung MRT, Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen and former President Chen Shui-bian as examples of problems in the judicial system. He said there was a need for serious reform of the judicial system. In particular there needs to be better monitoring of judges, judges should not maintain close relationships with prosecutors, there should be presumption of innocence and the recruitment of prosecutors and judges needs to be reformed. There is also a need to revise the criminal procedure code to limit the detention period, Wu said.

Wu said the top leadership must recognise there is a problem with the judiciary and ask top officials to research and investigate this. The government must accept whatever recommendations are made and put them into place.

Other media: The Taipei Times published an article about the forum. The China Post also has a report. The Taiwan News has a related editorial today on reform of Legislative Yuan.

Poster presented at PNC, Academia Sinica

“The Right to Use Forest Resources: Atayal Culture and Smangus.” Poster presented at Pacific Neighbourhood Consortium (PNC) Annual Conference 2009 at Academia Sinica, Taipei, 6-8 October 2009.

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Smangus and the Atayal spirit

I visited Smangus this week to continue the research for my thesis. There were some significant changes in the village since my visit last year. The major one was the new classroom building near the main entrance to the village. Construction began in July last year and was completed in April. There are currently 12 students studying in the experimental branch of the Xinguang Primary School. The curriculum includes classes in Atayal language and traditional knowledge.

The building has a slate roof, rough sawn timber walls and a concrete foundation. Its combination of traditional materials and modern building techniques is in many ways a metaphor for the Smangus community which combines traditional Atayal culture with ideas from the modern world.

Although millet is no longer the main staple of the people in Smangus they still grow some millet each year. It was harvested recently and was being dried while I visited. Unfortunately it was too late for the peaches Smangus is famous for. The peach season had ended a couple of weeks earlier.

There was a group of young people on a trip organised through youthtravel.tw there at the time of my visit. I was able to join the activities with them. In the evening we watched the short film Msgamil: Once Upon a Time (泰雅千年) directed by Chen Wen-bin (陳文彬). This was the first film ever made in the Atayal language and tells the story of a village’s migration. It is beautifully produced and a good introduction to Atayal culture. You can learn more about it on the film’s website.

After the film there was a presentation about Atayal language and Smangus. I also saw this presentation again on the second night, although the content was a little different. On both nights they gave a lot of information about how the village of Smangus is organised. Smangus has a cooperative system where all members are paid an equal wage. There are other benefits too and students have their school fees paid and also receive an allowance. It draws on modern ideas such as the kibbutz in Israel, but also reflects the Atayal spirit of egalitarianism and teamwork.

On the second day I joined with a group to hike to the Yaya Qparung or group of ancient cypress trees. It was a beautiful morning. The altitude at Smangus means the temperatures at this time of the year are very pleasant and nothing like the extremes on the lowlands of Taiwan. The hike goes through both bamboo and forest. While there are some ups and downs there are no difficult or steep climbs. It is a 12 kilometre return journey and takes around five hours including time to appreciate the old trees.

The photo above shows the largest of the giant red cypress trees. It is 2,700 years old. The trees are in a hollow area that protects them from storms. The area has seven giant trees. Just like the ancient trees at Lala Shan they are an amazing sight.

The visit to Smangus gave me plenty more material for my thesis and even greater respect for the people there. There is so much that can be learnt from Smangus. It is in many ways a model for other indigenous communities in Taiwan and around the world.

Poster presentation at anthropology conference

“Indigenous Rights in Taiwan and the Smangus Case.” Poster presented at the Society for East Asian Anthropology (SEAA) and Taiwan Society for Anthropology and Ethnology (TSAE) conference at Academia Sinica, Taipei, 2-5 July 2009.

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