Dear Taiwan And Hong Kong, From Nicaragua

Even though the bill was effectively dead after protests that gathered around 2 million people, Hongkongers are still protesting for something that is bigger than a simple extradition bill. They are fighting for their democracy, for human rights to be respected and for their future. 

Similarly, in Nicaragua on April 18th, 2018, protesters also took on the streets. Triggered by an adjustment made to the Social Security System, the protest has also turned into a wide-ranging call for a more democracy Nicaragua. 

About something bigger

It is not only about a mere law. In Hong Kong and Nicaragua, there was a specific policy decision that served as the spark that ignited the fire. But hidden sentiments of years of repression and government negligence toward the society transformed into massive protests that in both cases resulted in injured people, police brutality, human rights violations, and in the case of Nicaragua the death of more than 300 people, most of them young students. 

Students and young people form the majority of protesters in the movement. Young people, filled with hope to change what’s wrong in search of a better future for their societies, decided to lead the movements with no fear of repercussions. Sometimes, those small insignificant groups, just as they have been called by members of the Nicaraguan and Chinese governments, are what terrify the most the  autocratic regimes.

CommonWealth Magazine interviewed some of the protesters in Hong Kong. As the protesters mentioned, in Hong Kong “this time the faces of the resistance are not familiar faces, no rising superstars in the political arena,” which was exactly what happened in Nicaragua last year. However, with the passage of time, these regular citizens have become leaders who gained the trust of Nicaraguans to fight for their future. 

Defenders of these ideas include mothers, who traditionally were thought to never “cause trouble.” In Hong Kong, mothers gathered at the Hong Kong Mothers Anti-extradition Rally, and similarly in Nicaragua there is a civic movement called “Mothers of April.” This civil movement was named after all the young people who were killed during the protests of April 2018 in Nicaragua. On May 30th, Nicaraguan Mother’s day, during a march in memory of their loved ones, police, paramilitary groups and pro government mobs fired real bullets and approximately killed 15 people. 

The location from where the snipers were shooting was the National Stadium, a building that was indirectly financed by the Taiwanese government.  Taiwan said nothing about this incident.

Both societies are not willing to give up on their liberties. Carrie Lam, the chief executive in Hong Kong announced the suspension of the bill; Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua, had also announced the annulation of the reforms made to the Social Security System. However, this neither stopped, nor dispersed, protesters. On the contrary, it united them.

All these cases of torture, murder and excessive violence suppresses a society’s right to assembly and free expression. These should also serve as an example of what an authoritarian regime, like the People’s Republic of China, is capable of in order to maintain “order.” 

Is Taiwan a beacon of democracy? 

The last loan of US$100 million dollars, and the donations Taiwan has made during the past year to the government of Daniel Ortega, have been a subject of controversy. The aid packages ended up as a financial oxygen line for the battered Ortega government, which has already been economically sanctioned by the United States and Canada. 

Taiwan has made a recent donation of US$600,000 dollars to the Nicaraguan Military. In his speech, the Ambassador of Taiwan to Nicaragua Jaime Chin Mu Wu said, ”(This is) a fund of 600 thousand dollars corresponding to 2019. It is destined to the Nicaraguan army’s uniforms and accessories…once again, [we are] here to demonstrate the bonds of friendship between our two countries, between our two military institutions.” 

This donation and last year’s donation that Taiwan made to the Nicaraguan National Police must certainly not be of great comfort for the Nicaraguans that have lost their loved ones on the streets against the only institutions that are supposed to defend their own people. Hundreds of people have paid with their own lives so one day there is democratic accountability of institutions like the Nicaraguan Army and Nicaraguan police. 

Some newspapers reported that an official working for the Embassy of Taiwan in Nicaragua revealed that Taiwan had not yet paid out the loan. If this is true, it could be a first step for Taiwan to criticize the Ortega regime and stand up for its democratic values. But Taiwan could also simply be acting out of deference to the US and Canadian sanctions. 

Taiwan, its government and its people, raised their voice in support of the protesters in Hong Kong. A massive rally gathered more than 10,000 people in front of Taiwan’s Parliament on June 17th, voicing out for their neighbors’ wishes. President Tsai and MOFA also showed their support via Twitter.

In the case of Nicaragua, Taiwan still maintains free trade agreements in different sectors, runs programs that support the industry, and makes direct donations to the poorest regions of the country. These are examples of the type of help that the people of Nicaragua need at the moment, and also the type of help that shows a sincere and voluntary care for Taiwan’s friends. But Taiwan’s silence on the domestic crisis in one of its formal diplomatic allies raises doubt about Taiwan’s commitment to its democratic values. 

Conclusion

Sometimes, there are fights not worth fighting; people will ask you to think twice, but this one is not the case. Just like Taiwan has built its democracy in the past, it can lend a hand for other people to build their democracies. 

The fight for democracy and liberties in Hong Kong and Nicaragua is a reminder that those universal values should not be lost to authoritarianism; conversely, Taiwan’s history serves as a source of inspiration and determination to HongKongers and Nicaraguans.

Even though Taiwan might not have enough influence to change the entire world, it has an enormous chance to show all of us that defending the rights of their friends and uniting forces against a bigger oppressive power is the right thing to do.

(Feature photo by Jorge Mejía Peralta, CC BY 2.0)