TACC Book Club Reading Report on ‘Taiwan’s Statesman:
Lee Teng-hui and Democracy in Asia’
Reported by J. W. Lue

Author: Richard C. Kagan - Kagan is professor emeritus in history at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He holds a Ph.D. in Asian history from the University of Pennsylvania. He has written about human rights in North Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan. In 2003, Prof. Kagan received a human rights award in Taiwan.

Abstract: This Plutarchian biography is a study of Lee’s character, how it was formed, and how it allowed him to become the father of democracy in Taiwan. Kagan also describes in rich detail Lee’s struggle to reinvent Taiwan’s culture and political system by advocating an independent sovereign nation with universal values of human rights, democracy, freedom, and economic justice. He defines Lee’s life as a beacon for people looking for new ways to promote democracy and sovereignty.

Contents: ‘The title of this biography, Taiwan’s Statesman, refers to Lee’s ability to be more than a democratic politician. It highlights his ability to create a new identity for Taiwan and Taiwanese. Lee separated Taiwan from China by arguing that the Taiwanese had followed a different path than the one engineered by government leaders in Beijing and that Taiwan was in fact, if not legally, an independent, sovereign nation.’ After explaining why he chose to write on Lee Teng-hui in chapter 1, the author spent the next 4 chapters to describe Lee’s growing up, his educations, and his early career, focusing on the development of Lee’s character. Chapters 6-8 describe Lee’s career shift into a technocrat, how he learned to function stealthily inside the KMT’s den, and finally to dismantle the party state. Chapter 9-12 describe the establishment of freedom and democracy in Taiwan and the creation of a new Taiwanese culture. Chapter 13 concludes “Why is Lee a Statesman?”

Kagan apparently admired lee’s accomplishments very much. He wrote: “On march 23, 1996, Lee Teng-hui became the first popularly elected president of the Republic of China, the island nation better known in the West as Taiwan. His inauguration initiated an era that promised a new life of democracy and freedom, and a challenge to China’s claim over Taiwan. And while Lee’s nickname ‘Mr. Democracy’ may sound trite to outsiders, it reflects the remarkable passion with which Taiwanese of all persuasions continue to cherish their new freedoms to speak openly and elect their leaders.” “Lee Teng-hui is proof that East Asia can produce its own authentic political, social, and international leaders under even the most stressful and threatening conditions.”

Kagan includes a short and clear understanding of the history of Taiwan in Chapter 2. “Although the majority of the population on Taiwan came from the continent, the Chinese immigrants’ experiences in Taiwan led to the development of an identity that was uniquely Taiwanese not Chinese.”

Kagan feels strongly that Lee’s personality and behavior were crafted by his spiritual immersion, first, into Zen Buddhism and, later, Christianity. “From his time in middle school, Lee adopted the Zen concept of self-control.” “From Zen, he learned to regard reality in fluid terms. There were no absolutes, no limits to one’s spontaneity, and no boundaries to creativity nor any hurry to complete a task. The world was always in productive chaos. This view allowed him to be somewhat detached from his political and public life, to backtrack and take a different course when obstacles greeted him, and to be patient and wait for new opportunities with each setback.” “He often recounts that Carlyle was a great influence on his thinking, and that the enigmatic work Sartor Resartus (The Tailor Retailored) has had a lifelong influence. Lee, in a sense, is the tailor – constantly changing his outer clothing to meet the threats and issues he encounters while maintaining a clear, self-conscious internal mission.”

“His conversion to Christianity provided another sense of security and meaning for his life.” “Lee said he was able to reconcile what he calls [the existence of life] with [the existence of the spirit…..The first step to salvation is the understanding of the Spirit.]” “Christianity gave Lee an absolute that Zen lacked. [I remember one time when my family and I scaled the Kuanyin Mountain, I was overwhelmed by the loneliness when I got to the top,] Lee has said. [It suddenly dawned on me that the sense of loneliness is like that of the head of state. No one will come to my rescue except for the Jesus Christ I believe in.]” “Christianity and Zen have proved mutually reinforcing, as both religious views are grounded in a respect for place.”

“The period from 1971 to 1986 was notable for a shifting of gears in Lee’s life. His path from being a college professor to becoming a member of the KMT and serving as a mayor, a governor, and, finally the vice president of the Republic of China led him through many gateways and to dramatically sharpened sense of self-awareness and mission.” “Lee Teng-hui’s life appears enigmatic even to his closest friends because they never know exactly what he is thinking or what he will do next.” “The very act of collaboration, of working with the occupier, of aiding the muscled authority, is the result of calculating various types of survival.” “What many biographers of Lee, particularly Japanese scholars, have not emphasized are Lee’s strong, almost narcissistic, belief in himself and his take-no-prisoners approach to politics. Behind the charming, smiling, Christian demeanor is a man who is firm in his beliefs and unhesitating in his actions.” “Lee Teng-hui’s firmness of purpose and willingness to take on a role of leadership derived from his experience in the Japanese military and from the authoritarianism of Zen Buddhist traditions in which the master was always to be obeyed.”

“In his May 20, 1990 inauguration speech, Lee announced two goals for Taiwan’s democracy – reform the outdated constitution and set up a system in which political parties could compete equally and fairly with each other to represent the views of the public.” “These achievements were to occur during times of great domestic turmoil and international threats.” “Through his charismatic leadership and appeal to popular support, Lee was able to accomplish a peaceful revolution without civil war or major political violence. He became the father of a newborn democratic Taiwan – one that embarked its citizens on a creative, and often chaotic, path of political, social, and cultural change.” “From the time of his inauguration in 1990 until the end of his second term of office in 2000, Lee counseled, pushed, and led the nation on what he termed the [Road to Democracy.]” “In 2005 he proclaimed in a speech that [Taiwan must rid itself of Chinese cultural values imposed on the country by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). The nation has to establish a new culture based on the Aborigine, Hakka, Hoklo (Taiwanese), Mainlander, and Japanese cultures.]”

“There can be no doubt that Lee’s deep beliefs in both Zen Buddhism and Christianity and his broad reading in the classics of Japanese and Western thought shaped his course in life. Those influences led him to become a politician with genuine concern for the welfare of those he governed, to reject authoritarianism as embodied in the KMT and the Communist regime in Beijing, and to advocate democracy and balanced economic growth. As an appointed and elected government official, Lee was able to develop a peaceful domestic transition to democracy. Internationally, he created an independent and sovereign Taiwan that successfully challenged China’s claims to envelop it into the unification program of the one-China policy.”

Kagan praises Lee so much by saying “Lee, not unlike Washington in the United States of America, is the founding father of Taiwan’s democracy. Through his skill and foresight, Lee led Taiwan’s transition from authoritarian party state to thriving democracy without bloodshed or savage uprisings.” “Lee is a statesman because he re-conceptualized Taiwan. He did so by reaching out beyond his own history – the history of China, imperial Japan, and the repressions of KMT. Lee was able to step outside his own past of unhealthy traditions to draw strength from a future that sought redemption from human failure, offered the opportunity for generating lives that were free and creative, and endorsed a spirituality that was open and willing to take chances for the sake of society’s improvement.” “Lee’s legacy is now in the hands of others, but his beliefs and actions will be preserved and admired in the memories of many citizens of Taiwan and the world.”