By Charlie Yu, translated by Tom Shih
"MUN? What is MUN?” I asked my grandson. Although he tried to explain what MUN is, I still don’t have a clue. However, he got the conversation going when he asked about my past. Looking back in time, I thought of the being recruited into the Japanese Imperial Army. I was only nineteen, fresh out of high school. I was going into the army because it was mandatory to serve Japan, even though I’m Taiwanese. I was sent to fight with the artillery corps along with twelve reluctant companions. We didn’t know where we were going or what we were going to do. As I approached the artillery, my destiny was decided. Either I die or my “enemies” die. One of the most frightening battles was in Keelung, a city on the northeast coast of Taiwan. It was a serene morning, and I believed that it would just be another peaceful day. I was wrong. At 0400 hours 60 American aircraft approached, and I knew that was my judgment day because either I would live through this bombardment or I would die. Our commander told my twelve companions and me to prepare the anti-aircraft gun and be ready to fight this day of glory. “Fire!” my commander shouted, and my companion and I aimed for an American aircraft. We shot it down. The Americans in return bombed Keelung, and the whole scene was like hell. Buildings crumbled into pieces, and people lay lifeless on the ground. One of the AA guns a few meters next to mine was bombed. I saw my friends blown to pieces. I thought to myself, What do I live for? This is a war that I despised, yet I still had to fight because I had to fight for “my country”? The battle raged for two hours, and finally ended as the Americans retreated. I survived, and I thought to myself, What a day! A couple of months later, I heard on the radio that Japan had surrendered, and I became extremely exhilarated that this war finally ended. As my grandson asked me about the question of Taiwan’s admission into the UN, I thought to myself, Is it possible? No, it is a dream that will never happen. I have three reasons that Taiwan will not join the UN: economic, political and the threat of war, and the international community. Even though I believe that Taiwan should join the UN, I think that Taiwan should focus more on its domestic issues rather than joining the UN. As I see on television everyday, Taiwanese political parties fight each other about unimportant issues or trivial matters such as Taiwan’s bid to join the UN, but each time they fight, Taiwan falls deeper into an abyss. People in Taiwan are suffering economically. Unemployment, the crime rate, and suicides are increasing dramatically at an unimaginable rate. If Taiwan cannot get itself out of its economic and social problems, then pretty soon things will fall apart. These days the Taiwanese economy is unstable, so I believe that the government should revive the economy instead of talk about the UN. Moreover, if Taiwan’s economy revives, then it may be that the international community may pay attention to our nation and support us in our efforts to join the UN. Secondly, the political issue means that Taiwanese Independence (which acceptance by the UN would formalize for the international community) may provoke China to obliterate Taiwan with missiles. As a WWII veteran, I could not bear to see Taiwan through another war. Have any one of you experienced missiles falling from the sky like rain? Have any of you seen one of your friends blown up into pieces in front of you? Or have any of you seen the horror on a civilian face as he runs and wails for survival? Think about it for a moment. Put yourself in my shoes, and think about what would happen to you if you were me in that battle in Keelung. War is a serious matter. It is not a game. The price of war is too costly because nobody wins.The third and final reason is the international community. There are few countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which shows that Taiwan is weak in the international community. Most of the nations in the world right now believe in the One China Policy, and this is the way it will be for a very long time. As I see it, if Taiwan cannot gain enough support from the international community, there is no point for Taiwan to join the UN. The UN is an unachievable dream for Taiwan. The future of Taiwan is uncertain, but I hope that the status quo will remain. The alternative is reunification. If Taiwan is going to reunite with China, then it should be a Special Administrative Region (SAR), like Hong Kong or Macao. I hope by writing this article, I will not offend anyone who believes Taiwan should join the UN. I write purely from my observation and experience about what I think is best for Taiwan’s future.
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