Mystery of the Time Capsule: Is the Trade in Services Agreement a Gift?

Mystery of the Time Capsule:
Is the Trade in Services Agreement a Gift?
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China)
A Translation
December 25, 2013

Summary: The trade in services agreement has been sealed in a "time capsule." That is not merely a metaphor. It is an accurate description of reality. Have we not seen more and more of Taiwan being stuffed into time capsules, unable to change with the times while the outside world moves on? The trade in services agreement has become a cryogenically frozen frog. It has become a runaway experiment. The Legislative Yuan has turned the ROC into a nation without a direction. This has been true for years.

Full text below:

Has the cross-Strait trade in services agreement been consumed by fire within the legislature? One may be relieve to hear that it has not. The agreement lives. Over the past two days, the legislature has experienced major clashes over the agreement. KMT legislator Chang Ching-chung hoped to add the agreement to the Internal Affairs Committee agenda. This would allow the case to undergo substantive review tomorrow. But Green Camp legislators threatened to block approval of the central government budget. As a result, the Blue Camp Whip stepped forward and stopped Chang Ching-chung.

Members of the public hope the cross-Strait trade in services agreement can be revived. But they must not be overly optimistic. The frog's legs may still be twitching. It may survive. But it may be crippled for life. The frog is now more dead than alive. This apparently was the intention of both ruling and opposition party legislators. No one appears concerned about its survival.

The trade in services agreement has been stalled in the legislature for over six months. The supposedly sacred principle of "interparty consultation," means substantive review must be delayed until March 10 next year, when the DPP completes its last public hearing. In other words, it cannot be passed during the current session. Yesterday Blue Camp legislator Chang Ching-chung attempted to add it to the agenda. Alas, he found himself beseiged by both ruling and opposition party legislators: The TSU threatened a "bloody struggle." The DPP warned the Blue Camp not to view the trade in services agreement as a "souvenir" for MAC Chairman Wang Yu-chi when he visits the Mainland in February of next year. Otherwise, they would set the Legislative Yuan ablaze. Wang Jin-pyng reiterated that unless the ruling and opposition parties reach an agreement, the bill will not be reviewed.

In effect, the trade in services agreement has been sealed in a Legislative Yuan "time capsule." The DPP resorts to delaying tactics in negotiations with the ruling KMT. The trade in services agreement may be a panacea or a poison. Either way it will remain in stasis until March of next year. After such a long delay, even assuming it is a panacea, it will not be able to save Taiwan. Conversely, even assuming it is a poison, it will not be able to harm Taiwan. The DPP claims that Wang Yu-chi would treat the agreement as a "souvenir." The DPP views national policy as private material assets. It even views them as "favors" one politician grants another. Such a mindset reflects the selfish nature of politics on Taiwan. It explains why the ruling and opposition parties are fighting over the trade in services agreement.

Whom does the trade in services agreement benefit the most? Beijing originally saw the cross-Strait trade in services agreement as a "concession" to Taipei, one that would benefit Taiwan. The Ma administration also stressed that the agreement was the result of Beijing's "concession." The two sides intentionally or otherwise characterized the agreement as a "gift." The Green Camp opposes anything having to do with the Mainland. Alas, spinning the agreement as a "gift" handed the Green Camp an excuse to relentlessly smear it and exaggerate its "hidden dangers." It enabled the Green Camp to inflame emotions within the service sector. As a result, the trade in services agreement became a "gift" to the opposition Green Camp parties. It gave them license to accuse the ruling party of "selling out Taiwan." What about the facts? What about all those public hearings? How many people give a damn?

Legislative Yuan inter-party consultation rules have turned the trade in services agreement into another kind of "gift." Wang Jin-pying has assumed the role of the Wise Peacemaker. The ruling and opposition parties agreed to hold sixteen public hearings. But they forget to stipulate when these public hearings must be concluded. This has enabled the DPP to drag the hearings out indefinitely. This has left the Ma administration anxiously wringing its hands. Wang Jin-pyng meanwhile, remains utterly indifferent. As he put it, "ruling and opposition party harmony above all." He firmly backed opposition DPP influence peddling. He froze the trade in services agreement. These too were "gifts" to the Green Camp from Wang Jin-pying.

Did Beijing in facdt offer a concession? Did the Ma administration fight for concessions and win them? Are the concessions a pretext for DPP obstructionism? Are they a tool for Wang Jin-pying to use in his political maneuvers? The fact is, all parties seee the trade in services agreement as a gift from heaven. What will happen when the time capsule is finally opened? The  trade in services agreement will be birthed by the Legislative Yuan. Will it survive the eight months long "inter-party consultations?" Will it emerge unscathed from the bloodbath? It will not. The opposition Green Camp will resort to scorched earth tactics. The eight months of obstructionism may be filled with empty posturing. But in the end it will mean death. So why not begin the war now and get it over with? Why not use the time to debate it? Why waste eight months waiting for an inevitable massacre?

The answer is simple. These are politicians we are talking about. All they see is immediate gratification. That is all that matters. Peoples' valuable time, the nation's success or failure, the industrial sector's rise or fall mean nothing to them. The trade in services agreement most certainly was a gift. But the politicians have descended upon it like vultures. How much will be left for the people? What can one expect?

The trade in services agreement has been sealed in a "time capsule." That is not merely a metaphor. It is an accurate description of reality. Have we not seen more and more of Taiwan being stuffed into time capsules, unable to change with the times while the outside world moves on? The trade in services agreement has become a cryogenically frozen frog. It has become a runaway experiment. The Legislative Yuan has turned the ROC into a nation without a direction. This has been true for years.

時光膠囊之謎：服貿是誰的禮物？
【聯合報╱社論】
2013.12.25 03:58 am

對於以為《兩岸服貿協議》已經命喪國會火場的民眾，這裡可以提供一點寬慰：並沒有！服貿協議一息尚存。這兩天，立法院仍在為此事大動干戈，國民黨立委張慶忠原有意將服貿案排入內政委員會議程，讓該案明天進入實質審查；但在綠營立委揚言杯葛中央政府總預算加以反制下，由藍營黨鞭出面將張慶忠擋下。

但是，對於以為《兩岸服貿協議》將有望起死回生的民眾，我們也要提醒：毋需過度樂觀！因為，僅雙腿仍在抽搐的青蛙，就算活得下來，大概也只剩半條命了。何況，把這隻青蛙弄到半死不活，似乎就是目前朝野立委最大的共識，沒人關切它存在的意義。

服貿協議已經在立法院躺了超過半年，依照「朝野協商」的神聖原則，須等到明年三月十日民進黨辦完最後一場公聽會，才可以進入實質審查程序。亦即，本會期已注定不可能過關。藍委張慶忠日昨試圖提早將它排入議程，竟遭朝野立委雙雙圍攻：台聯揚言不惜「流血抗爭」，民進黨則警告藍軍勿將服貿過關當成陸委會主委王郁琦明年二月登陸訪問的「伴手禮」，否則立院將烽火連天。王金平則繼續重申：朝野沒協商好，不可能審查。

簡單地說，服貿協議被封存在立法院的「時光膠囊」裡，由於民進黨在朝野協商中的拖延戰術運用，無論它是仙丹或是毒藥，明年三月中前都將維持原封不動。經過冗長的封存，即使是仙丹，它救不了台灣；如果是毒藥，它也害不了人。值得玩味的是，民進黨認為服貿過關可能變成王郁琦的「伴手禮」的想法，不僅把一項國家協議個人化、物質化，甚至想像為人際間的「小恩小惠」；這樣的思維，除頗能反映台灣政治由「私利」出發的態度，也解釋了朝野競相榨取服貿協議的心情。

服貿是誰的禮物？一開始，中國大陸將兩岸服貿協議的簽訂形容為「惠台」措施，馬政府對內則亦強調了這是北京對台「讓利」的結果，雙方即有意無意地渲染了這項「禮物」的遐思。然而，「讓利說」正好給了逢中必反的綠營一個扣帽子的藉口，不斷誇大其間可能潛藏的陰謀，並煽起一些民間業者的反對情緒。至此，服貿已搖身變成了反對黨的「禮物」，可以免費無限暢飲地攻擊執政黨存心「賣台」；至於事實如何，辦了那麼多場公聽會，又有多少人在乎？

不僅如此，在立院「朝野協商」的遊戲規則下，服貿協議又變質成另一種形式的「禮物」。在這個遊戲裡，王金平扮演和事佬恩主公，朝野同意辦十六場公聽會，卻忘了約束公聽會應該何時辦完；於是，民進黨可以將日子一天拖過一天，讓馬政府急得跳腳。對此，王金平無動於衷，他說「朝野和諧」最重要。對在野黨在關說案中的力挺，冷凍櫃裡的服貿協議，也算是王金平的一點小小心意吧。

不論是北京的讓利，是馬政府的爭取，是民進黨的杯葛工具，或是王金平的手段，總而言之，服貿協議被各方當成禮物送來送去；然而，當時光膠囊最後要拆封，服貿協議要通過立法院的產道降生時，能因為熬過八個月「朝野協商」而免去一場屠殺並順利問世嗎？絕無可能！因為，在野黨屆時若不焦土抗爭，就表示他們這八個月的杯葛完全是無理取鬧，假戲一場。那麼，既然終將難免一戰，為什麼不把開戰的進程推前，或者利用這段時間好好進行討論，卻要白白浪費八個月的時間等待一場勢所難免的屠殺？

答案很簡單，對政治人物而言，只有眼前可以點收並即時享用的禮物，才能算是進帳。至於人民的時間、國家的成敗、產業的興衰，率皆與他們無關。服貿協議當然是一項禮物，但經過政客層層沾手剝削，會留下多少殘渣供人民分享，你能期待嗎？

服貿協議被封存在「時光膠囊」，不只是一個隱喻，也是一種現實的描述。豈不見，近幾年，整個台灣已有越來越多部門都像是被裝進了時光膠囊，無法再隨外在世界的變化而移動，只能留在原地。服貿協議變成冷凍青蛙，只是一場失控的實驗；而立法院把台灣變成一個沒有目標的國家，則已經多年了。