Some Memorable Days in August
August is full of days quite memorable for me. It was on August 24th, 1957 when I was admitted to the USA with a “student” visa in Honolulu, Hawaii. After 19 years studying and working and having a family there, I came back to Taiwan with my family. For my children, they came to Taiwan with their parents. We spent about a week in Japan visiting before we reached Taiwan on August 25th, 1976. There were other dates quite memoriable to me. Some of the dates have been commented already on this blog.
I thought it was on August 17th, but upon checking up, it was on August 16th, 1977 when one most decisive of the “Three Classic and Historical Statements’ of the Presbyterian Church” was presented to then President Chiang in Taiwan, President Carter of US, and to the peoples of all countries concerned and those related Churches all over the world. It was “A Declaration on Human Rights by the Presbyteraisn Church in Taiwan”. The Church had issued two shocking and influentials statements previously: “Public Statement on Our National Fate” on December 30, 1971, and “Our Appeals” in the summer of 1975. It is widely regarded that these “Tree Statements” have laid effective fundation for the democratization of Taiwan from “with-in”.
After comending President Carter for adopting “human rights” as a principle of his diplomacy, the statement confessed that human rights are also gift of God to the people of Taiwan and insisted that the future of Taiwan shall be determined by then 17 million people who live there. The most cardinal section of the Declaration on Human Rights stated that “In order to achieve our goal of independence and freedom for the people of Taiwan in this critical international situation, we urge our government to face reality and take effective measures whereby Taiwan may become a new and independent country”.
It was almost a year after my return to Taiwan and I was called to participate in the drafting of the statement. The drafing committee worked through all day August 15 but could not get a satisfactory draft. A small working group was appointed ti finish it over the night. I was not in the group. In the morning of August 16 the working group offered an even softer and weaker version with small details on how for an UN membership and do plebiscite over the issue. Of course much heated discussions ensued but no acceptable document resulted. Then, the person who came back to Taiwan just a year ago ventured to offer a sentence. He repeated the sentence and it was written on a blackbord by a clerk. There was a utter silence. Moments later it was unanimously adopted and together with other sections adoped before the draft was completed. To the draft, a prayer was affixed, quoting verses from 85th Pslm, “Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up fromthe ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.” I was very proud of my father-in-law who was there and suggested to conclude the statement with prayer. it was then the General secretary the PCT Rev. C M Kao who gave the passage from the Psalm. With the prayer, the statement appeared to be more a confession of faith, rather than a political gesture.
On the way back on a train doing translation of the statement into English with an English missionary, I was taken aback by her comment that some of the participants had their last wills made before attending. She told me some names. It explained why it was so painfully difficult to have an acceptable draft. The person who stayed in the USA for 19 long years and returned to Taiwan a year ago was like “a blind bull in a china shop”! He was so accustomed to speak freely and did not yet know to be afraid. Now after almost 30 years, I still vividly remember the days and feel fortunate to be allowed to participate in the drafting and that my 19 years stay in the US has merit. Indeed, Taiwan as a “New and Independent country” is more than a dream for the 2300 million now on Taiwan and the Taiwanese overseas all over the world.