Would the Leader Please Stand Up?

One of the greatest challenges of democracy is giving voice to those sections of society that are most disadvantaged. A successful democratic mechanism must strive to combat marginalization and provide every citizen and social group with the tools to protect their rights and interests.

For this reason, scrutinizing society's treatment of its most marginalized members is an excellent method of gauging progress in democratization.

In this context, the eviction of low-income Aboriginal groups from choice property is hardly a compliment to the system. The Sijhou community of Sindian (新店), Taipei County, is just one example. Sijhou residents are being forced from their homes and there is little they can do about it. Although their homes lie on a designated flood zone, the land will soon be rezoned as safe for development thanks to the construction of a retention wall. But by the time the land is designated as safe, Sijhou's residents will have lost their fight.

Likewise, the government's treatment of another marginalized group of society, sex workers, reveals the chauvinism still ingrained in the system. Under Article 80 of the Social Order and Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), it is illegal to sell sex services, but not illegal to pay for them.

Prostitutes themselves say the criminalization of sex work has left them in the hands of organized crime and robbed them of legal recourse against physical abuse and of the option of turning down customers who refuse to wear a condom. The measure increased their hardship without empowering them with the tools to pursue a different livelihood.

That is the message that hundreds of sex workers and supporters took to the streets on Saturday in Taipei in a call to the presidential candidates.

Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) responded by signing an agreement to decriminalize prostitution within two years of being elected, an act the protesters welcomed and hoped was not an election ploy.

His Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival, Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), responded by declining to take a stance without first gauging public opinion. As president, Ma said, he would let public consensus steer the matter.

This was also Ma's response to a question on legalizing gay marriage in last month's debate, when he dodged taking a position for or against gay unions by saying public consensus must decide.

Ma seems to have missed the second challenge of democracy. A government mechanism that seeks to promote a society based on the ideals of equality and human rights has a responsibility to push for the interests of all sections of society -- even when this contradicts public opinion. This is the case both here and abroad, in fledgling and mature democracies.

If Ma believes in promoting the values of human rights and democracy, he must be willing to take a stand on issues that involve combating marginalization and intolerance. In Sweden, selling sex services is not punishable, but purchasing them is. This is based on the view that threatening sex workers with prison does little more than further marginalize a struggling section of society.

The next president should be prepared to push for measures to put an end to trafficking, gangster control of brothels, physical abuse of prostitutes, violation of their labor rights and the underlying issues of poverty, drug abuse and social inequality that have repeatedly been linked to prostitution.

A presidential candidate who believes that promoting social progress entails nothing more than gauging public opinion is not fit to take on the burdens of leadership.

Taipei Times Editorial, March 12, 2008.