2024/10/01 New Bloom Newsletter
blue and white unite? UN Resolution 2758, capital punishment ruling, cross-straight same-sex marriage, Indonesia protests, Umbrella Movement 10 years on, Taiwan stands with Palestine
Hi all, Yo-Ling here with another New Bloom Newsletter! This edition is jammed pack with content, so I’ll keep this intro short. Before getting into our regular content, I wanted to plug Aurora Chang’s personal essay from earlier this week on doing Palestine solidarity work in Taiwan, as well as to share that the next Taiwan Stands with Palestine March will be on October 13th.
And now the news:
New Bloom News
In late September, the KMT and TPP have continued to dig their heels in against the DPP, illustrating that they intend to maintain a scorched earth approach to governance in the current legislative session. As such, the two parties have acted to block the budget, while also taking aim at a DPP resolution to clarify the meaning of UN Resolution 2758.
After months of anticipation, the Constitutional Court issued a ruling narrowing the scope of the application of capital punishment but maintaining its legality. The ruling is not likely to please civil society groups that oppose the death penalty or advocates of its use as a deterrent against crime, though the KMT has framed the ruling as a de facto ban in order to attack the DPP.
Still, in another move that followed much anticipation and lobbying, longstanding barriers on cross-strait gay marriages were lifted. This does, however, require Taiwanese-Chinese couples to marry in a third location before seeking recognition of their marriage in Taiwan.
Likewise, with the ten year anniversary of the Umbrella Movement, we bring you an essay from Kris Cheng on the experience of Hongkongers that have since left home.
DAYBREAK Events
(Please see our Facebook page for all upcoming and past events)
2024/09/15 August’s Protests in Indonesia and “Black September”: A Discussion
We started out the second half of September with a discussion organized by Brian Hioe on the protests that broke out in late August against actions by the Indonesian government aimed at allowing parties with less than 20% representation to run in upcoming elections. Here is the write-up that Brian put together to guide the discussion:
The proposed change to election rules was understood to be an attempt by the current Jokowi government and incoming Prabowo government to maintain power, even if this meant overturning electoral rules. Further angering protestors were moves lowering the minimum age required to run, understood as an attempt by Jokowi to pave the way for his youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, for office. Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is to be Prabowo’s vice president. This points to the influence of political dynasties on Indonesian politics.
With thousands taking to the streets of Indonesia in protest, police repression was harsh, with journalists, minors, and others arrested without due process. Even so, the protests have been temporarily successful in pushing back the government’s efforts to enact legal changes.
The electoral political turmoil has become the tipping point where Indonesian students and various societal elements finally took to the streets to demonstrate. During the Jokowi administration alone, there have already been three massive student protests. In 2019 with the #reformasidikorupsi (reform corrupted) movement, in 2020 with the protest against the OMNIBUS LAW bill, and now in 2024 against the chaos of political dynasties perpetuated by the Jokowi regime.
In addition to these three massive protest movements, there have been smaller but constant protests demanding justice for human rights violations (1965 genocide and 98 students killing/kidnapping), agrarian conflicts, and conflicts over living spaces. These protests are carried out by students who are geographically or regionally close to the issues around them, showing that there are still students who care about their environment.
In this way, the protests represent broader discontents that have been bubbling up in Indonesian society in past years. How does the recent protest movement differ from those of previous years? How do the protesters strategize to keep the sustainability of the movement? What comes next for the protests? What parallels can be drawn to Taiwan? September marks “Black September” in Indonesia and is traditionally a time to commemorate the authoritarian past
2024/09/19 Echoes of Courage: A Panel with Martial Law Survivors from the Philippines and Taiwan
This historic panel event was livestreamed/recorded, which you can view here. Below is a summary by New Bloom community members Micah (he/him) and Rey (he/him):
Opening by Chuck Crisanto
This event connects the Philippines and Taiwan with in-person and live-streaming experiences in both countries. At New Bloom, about 30 people attend. It opens with remarks and the introduction of Philippine Martial Law History by Martial Law archivist Chuck Crisanto.
He begins with explaining the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), which is a government agency of the Philippines created after the end of Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship which recovers the illicit wealth accumulated by Marcos and his family or associates.
Marcos ruled the Philippines under martial law from 1972 to 1981. After being deposed by the People Power Revolution in 1986, President Corazon Aquino created the PCGG shortly after.
Crisanto, who lived personally through the period of martial law, goes on to detail the violent mass murders that went on during that time. He also shared a story of one man, a friend of his, who had nightmares every night for years of the physical torture he endured during the period of martial law.
One day, this man saw the prior officer who tortured him in passing on the street. The man was taken aback, unsure it was really him. The officer called him out by name and said, I remember you, because I dream every night of the terrible things I did. There is nothing I can do but say I am sorry.
After embracing and going their separate ways, the nightmares stopped. Crisanto shares that this hope and healing in the face of such great violence is the goal of his work. Crisanto hopes that The Philippines can be a beacon for other countries facing the same issues, as well.
Brief Introduction of the White Terror in Taiwan by Brian Hioe
After grateful applause for Crisanto for sharing his experiences, the moderator in the Philippines introduces NewBloom founding member Brian Hioe.
He points out that Taiwan was at one time under the longest period of martial law in the world when it was lifted: nearly four decades.
Brian details the cultural context of the Martial Law in Taiwan, showing pictures of the facilities used to imprison people, often for arbitrary reasons, such as creating cartoons. He shows one of the prisons that are now cultural parks. He next mentions that many of those who disappeared during this time are still nowhere to be found.
The ambiguity of the fates of many political prisoners in the wake of martial law brings up questions, Brian highlights, of what transitional justice looks like going forward.
He mentions that just south of NewBloom, is the execution grounds during the white terror. The echoes of history are still present in our lives.
The moderator then introduces two survivors of martial law in the Philippines and Taiwan, Dr. Judy Taguiwalo and Fred Chin.
Judy Taguiwalo
Sharing her experience first from the Philippines is Dr. Judy Taguiwalo, a social worker, social activist, and educator, who also served as the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development under the Duterte administration.
Dr. Taguiwalo cheerfully greets everyone present and jokingly mentions that both martial law survivors have white hair. When starting with what life was like before martial law, she points out that there was activism already happening in the Philippines. When she first started organizing, it was a time of economic crisis, political corruption, and electoral fraud. Governmental negligence incentivised the formation of strong activism.
She highlights that at the time of Martial Law, partly through university, she was not only studying history, but making history. Due to her fervent organizing outside of school, she was not able to get her diploma until the 1980s. She laughs that the school still had her documents–”wow, bureaucracy!”
Judy mentions that a revolution was happening not just in the Philippines at the time, but globally with the women’s liberation movement, Civil Rights movement, indigenous rights movement, and others. She points out that people were building solidarity, and that she saw individualism wilt in the face of the rise of collective solidarity.
She expresses that she came from a law-abiding family with no record of protest or activism. They were shocked when the police came to their house one morning and raided it, looking for her and her brother who were both activists. She went underground, didn’t return home, took on different names, and depended on solidarity to survive.
She emphasizes that not only did many die protesting, but martial law has physically and mentally maimed and traumatized many who survived. Dr. Taguiwalo says: “I was able to survive because, again, of solidarity.”
It was the women throughout strata of society who took care of her, which instilled a sense of women’s liberation as well. She highlights that though she saw the “double burden” the women around her were experiencing, it was the women around her who cared for children and for activists. “[We were] coming together, and resisting together.”
As a young activist of the time, despite the violence, she felt a hope that was like winter ending, and spring coming.
Fred Chin
Sharing his experience from Taiwan next is Fred Chin, who was born in Malaysia in 1949 and came as a student to Taiwan in 1967.
Delving into what his family’s experiences were at the time of his activism, he expressed how his family members were not involved at all with politics. The day he was arrested, his family knew nothing of what happened, and were worried that he had died in some sort of accident. They were prepared to “put his name with his ancestors.”
He expresses that at the time of coming to Taiwan, he had no interest in politics, but simply wanted to study as a student. He did not speak Mandarin well because of his Malay background, he frequented one of the offices of the United States because he was able to speak English, build relationships, and find comfort there.
Later on, the office was bombed. Due to his frequenting of this office, in 1971 he was suddenly abducted by the secret police of Taiwan and accused of having been the perpetrator, and of working as a communist spy to overthrow the government in Taipei. Despite there being no evidence, they tortured him brutally until he “confessed” to the crimes. Afterwards, he was in prison for 12 years.
Even decades later, he suffers from nightmares from these profoundly traumatic times, due to his own horrific experiences of torture and witnessing the torture and killing of others. Chin emphasizes that most victims of the White Terror were not political activists, but common people like him. He highlights that under Chiang Kai-shek, executions were not finalized by legal charges, but finalized by then-president Chiang Kai-shek himself.
Chin shares that in 2022 he met with Nancy Pelosi during her visit to Taiwan to talk about human rights. He expresses empathetically that he wants to do his best to help Taiwan.
Conclusion by Athena and Audience Questions
Young activists from both countries ask for wisdom from both speakers as to how to face the current political turmoil of the contemporary era and current ruling political parties. Both speakers emphasize the importance of the young generation to take on the mantle and find the best way forward.
Chin urged the younger generations to study and know their own history, so that violent histories will not be repeated. When asked about her thoughts on armed resistance, Dr. Taguiwalo encourages the youth to “study history, and understand why armed struggle has come about” as a way to liberate people around the world.
At the end of the event, Athena Charanne Presto, a Professor of Political Science in the Philippines, gives a synthesis of what has been discussed. She highlighted key quotes such as Dr. Taguiwalo’s “You will stomp on the flowers, you will never stop Spring.”
She also touches on cross-socioeconomic class and intersectional solidarity.
Closing Chant Led by Julia
At the final closing, dedicated young activist Julia, spokesperson for Migrante, leads the audience in a clap and chant for liberation. Julia highlights that currently in the Philippines under president Bongbong Marcos, there have been about 17 people forcibly disappeared, many of whom are environmental activists.
“The song is all in Tagalog, but we want everyone to feel the same revolutionary spirit and to continue the fight,” Julia explained.
The opening lyrics were:
Hindi tayo titigil hangga't hindi nagwawagi
Ang ating mithiin magkapantay-pantay
Walang magsasamantala, walang mang-aapi
lyan ang sandigan ng ating pamumuhay
We will not stop until we win
Our goal is equality
No exploiter, no oppressor
That is the basis of our lives
The event closed with all attendees powerfully chanting together: “NEVER AGAIN, NEVER AGAIN, NEVER AGAIN TO MARTIAL LAW!”
2024/09/21 New Bloom Tenth Anniversary Party!
As is typical for New Bloom, our anniversary party has been historically celebrated months after our actual anniversary, which is the cursed day of red, white, and blue fireworks relentlessly scaring animals across the United States in celebration of a nation built on unspeakable violence. We had senior New Bloom members Wen Liu, Jasmine Chan, and Brian Hioe come together for a panel moderated by Aurora Chang reflecting on the past decade of New Bloom, as well as DJ performances afterwards by Brian, Andy, and PL. In lieu of more words, here are two photos of the night (w/o any attendees’ faces for privacy reasons) by Philip So~
2024/09/28 Umbrella Revolution 10 Years On: The Evolution of Hong Kong Protest Art
[Summary by Rey, photos by R]
There was a warm atmosphere in New Bloom on the last Saturday night of September, with people trickling into the venue, some entering comfortable conversations in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, and others appreciating the artworks and artifacts lining the walls.
The event began with the host R saying a few words about the significance of commemorating the 10th anniversary 2014 Umbrella Movement this year, which not only saw the 5th anniversary of the 2019 anti-extradition protests, but also the 10th anniversary of the Sunflower movement and the beginning of the Bluebird Movement.
Then, Loretta Lau of NGO DEI Org in the Hague, Amsterdam, joined us via an online video call to show us "Treasure in Decade", an exhibition which showcased artifacts from the 2014 protests collected by the International Institute of Social History. Some memorable objects involved a giant yellow banner with the slogan "我要真普選" (I want true universal suffrage), a tent graffitied in cheerful colors, and a pair of letters: of a parent writing to their kid attending the protests, and a kid's letter to their parents. Although the two letters were not an exchange between family members, the juxtaposition showcased moving dialogue.
Afterwards, Kacey Wong, a visual artist & activist currently under self-imposed exile in Taiwan, shared his observations and artworks. He offered a vivid and accessible refresher of the events that have happened since 2014, while grounding with sharings of real reverberations left on Hong Kongers such as himself. He noted humorously that as an assistant professor in interior design at Hong Kong PolyU, the school boycotts during the protests in 2014 led him initially into empty classrooms, until he finally “chased down” his students, giving lectures at occupied spaces instead.
Lastly, New Bloom founding member Brian Hioe described his work in archiving social movement artwork. He noted how as protesting transforms public spaces into a state of constant broadcasting, the movement communicates and debates itself, in a fashion that is often memetic. Thus, context is often lost without documentation. Hioe then showcased the collections of art from the Milk Tea Alliance, an online democracy movement that sprouted as an anti-Beijing meme and now coalesces human rights efforts across Asia. In guides for protesting, the influences of HK protest imagery were made apparent, through visual iconography (all black protest) and strategies (be like water)..
After a Q&A session that highlighted the sense of hope that can be created through art, the room broke into calm conversation once again, the Lennon Wall blooming in the background.
That’s it for this newsletter!
Coming up
Every Friday Trif Trans Bar每週五的跨性別酒吧 A popup transgender bar every Friday in Taipei
2024/10/05: Vai ku Cekele ki lalake《太陽部落的孩子》放映會與派對 “Children from the SUN” screening and after party - short documentary by 羅嘉慶 Pacake (Rukai, trans nonbinary woman) and 吳依婷 Abby Wu; bar by Trif and DJ by Hammie~
2024/10/13: Taiwan Stand with Palestine March - Departing from Nishi Honganji Square (Ximen) at 1:00PM~
2024/10/19: 免術換證案件統整與展望 Streamlining Gender Marker Changes: Recent Court Rulings - A talk by New Bloom and Trif Trans Bar’s Trif/翠芙 !