Public opinion can capsize a dictator
By James J.Y. Hsu 許正餘

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) reportedly wants his political strategist Wang Huning (王滬寧) to come up with a new political theory, and naturally a catch-phrase, to relaunch propaganda for unification with Taiwan. After Xi trashed the promise of “one country, two systems” by suppressing democracy and freedom in Hong Kong and ruined its economy, the absence of moral leadership, as well as values, has become evident.

Meanwhile, Chinese authorities continue to arrest freelance reporters and political “dissidents” in the wake of the Hu Xinyu (胡鑫宇) murder case, and before the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) annual sessions of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Thus, any new theory for unification would be nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

In 1995, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) delivered a speech at Cornell University titled “With the people always in my heart,” in which he said that more than 2,000 years ago, the Venerated Documents (尚書), one of the five Chinese classics, stated: “What the people want, God will follow.”

The clear contrast in the conviction between the two leaders makes all the difference in moving the two countries forward. Lee led Taiwan into a full democracy and ensured prosperity, while Xi is running China into desperate situations, internally and externally, and could lead the nation, like Russian President Vladimir Putin, into self-destruction. After all, birds of a feather flock together.

The CCP runs an authoritarian regime, and fails to understand that imposing a perspective upon people is undemocratic and uncivilized. In fact, it poses the greatest risk of toppling the regime, as public opinion should be respected. As a Chinese saying states: “The king is like a boat and public opinion is like water; water can carry or capsize a boat.”

Former US president Martin Van Buren said something similar: Public opinion “is the most honest and best of all powers — which will not tolerate an incompetent or unworthy man to hold in his weak or wicked hands the lives and fortunes of his fellow-citizens.”

This is why dictators are afraid of the truth and suppress freedom of speech.

However, as former US president Abraham Lincoln said: “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”

Xi’s power is likely to collapse sooner or later.

Taiwanese treasure democracy, freedom, rule of law and humanity, while the CCP seeks national glory and power at the expense of human rights and happiness. It is difficult for individuals of opposing values to work together, let alone two countries with different political visions.

Chinese philosopher Mencius (孟子) said that the priorities of the people should come first, the nation second and the ruler last.

Taiwan has achieved a people-first democracy, and has great standings in global rankings of democracy, freedom, per capita wealth and on the corruption perception index. “Taiwan can help” has become a national symbol on the world stage. Taiwan can teach China a few things about running a successful and friendly democracy.

As former Canadian prime minister William King said: “Where there is little or no public opinion, there is likely to be bad government, which sooner or later becomes autocratic government.”

Reversing the process by allowing freedom of speech and freedom of the press would be the first step, then free and fair elections at all government levels would ensure the making of a democracy. It is what the majority of Chinese long for.

James J.Y. Hsu is a retired professor of theoretical physics.

This article was originally published in Taipei Timeew Editorial: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2023/02/18/2003794567