方恩格快评》台湾对瓜地马拉局势的沉默

瓜地马拉总统候选人阿雷瓦洛周二（27日）表示，如果他获胜，他将寻求与中国建立更密切的关系。图为一名男子正在贩售瓜地马拉国旗。（新华社）

今年稍早，蔡英文总统称她对瓜地马拉的访问是「坚定捍卫自由和民主」所必须的，总统府发言人林聿禅称瓜地马拉总统贾麦岱对台湾的访问是「加强我们共同努力实现全球民主复原力」。尽管国际社会已经对贾麦岱领导下瓜地马拉缺乏民主表示担忧，国际人权组织也批评了瓜地马拉6月25日总统选举中几名反对派候选人被禁的情况，美国也已经批评了法治的恶化和对记者的迫害。

在6月25日的总统选举中，曾反对贾麦岱总统等腐败精英的「种子党」候选人阿雷瓦洛出人意料地进入了8月20日举行的第二轮选举。此后，贾麦岱总统的政府采取了各种「法律手段」，为取消阿雷瓦洛的资格寻找法律依据。

美国国务院于7月2日发表了一份题为「瓜地马拉选举受到干扰」的声明，并于7月13日发表了另一份题为「瓜地马拉选举的完整性和可信度受到持续威胁」的声明。7月19日，美国国务院宣布对10名瓜地马拉现任和前任官员实施制裁，罪名是腐败和破坏民主进程。7月22日，美洲国家组织选举观察团发表声明，谴责贾麦岱政府的政治迫害。

媒体向外交部询问台湾对贾麦岱政府干预选举的立场。该部声称，「外交部尊重瓜地马拉司法和选举程序的运作，以及瓜地马拉人民按照民主程序产生的选举结果。」台湾政府不愿批评其好朋友贾麦岱总统。

奇怪的是，这意味着执政的民进党支持保守派总统贾麦岱，而贾麦岱的价值观普遍不同，这是为了确保进步派「种子党」不会赢得选举并与大陆断交。

在宏都拉斯，台湾一再赞扬与前总统叶南德兹的关系，尽管他已经因贩毒和其他罪行而受到调查。因此，当叶南德兹的政敌、总统卡蕬楚想起台湾对他的友好并终止与台湾的外交关系时，也就不足为奇了。

民主国家对贾麦岱政府的行为感到厌恶，但台湾并没有批评他。台湾的动机可以理解，但却让台湾站在了瓜地马拉民主发展的错误一边，并增加了阿雷瓦洛如果赢得第二轮选举，他将终止与台湾关系的可能性。

Taiwan’s Silence About the Situation in Guatemala

By Ross Darrell Feingold

Former Asia Chairman, Republicans Abroad

Twitter: @RossFeingold

Earlier this year, President Tsai Ing-wen described her visit to Guatemala as necessary to “stand firm in defense of freedom and democracy”, and Presidential Office Spokesperson Olivia Lin described President Alejandro Giammattei’s visit to Taiwan as “bolstering our joint efforts toward global democratic resilience”. This was despite the international community having already expressed concern about the lack of democracy under Giammattei, international human rights organizations having criticized the ban of several opposition candidates in Guatemala’s presidential election on June 25, and the United States having already criticized the deterioration of the rule of law and the persecution of journalists.

In the presidential election on June 25, Bernardo Arevalo, the candidate of the Movimiento Semilla or Seed Movement who had campaigned against corrupt elite like President Giammattei, surprisingly advanced to the second round to be held on August 20. President Giammattei’s government has since engaged in all types of “lawfare” to find a legal basis to disqualify Arevalo.

The State Department issued a statement on July 2 titled Election Interference in Guatemala and issued another statement on July 13 titled “Continued Threats to the Integrity and Credibility of Guatemala’s Election”. On July 19, the State Department announced sanctions on ten current and former Guatemalan officials for corruption as well as undermining democratic processes. On July 22 the Organization of American States Electoral Observer Mission issued a statement to condemn political persecution by President Giammattei’s government.

The China Times inquired with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about Taiwan’s position on election interference by President Giammattei’s government. The ministry told us “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs respects the operations of Guatemala’s judicial and election processes, and the election result produced by the Guatemalan people in accordance with democratic procedures”.

The Taiwan government is reluctant to criticize its good friend President Giammattei.

Oddly, this means the ruling Democratic Progressive Party supports the conservative President Giammattei who generally does not share the same values, and does in order to ensure that the progressive Semilla does not win the election and switch diplomatic relations to the mainland.

In Honduras, Taiwan repeatedly praised its relationship with former President Juan Orlando Hernández even though he was already under investigation for drug trafficking and other crimes. Thus, it came as no surprise when President Xiomara Castro, a political enemy of Hernández, remembered Taiwan’s friendliness with him and terminated diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Democratic countries are disgusted by the actions of President Giammattei’s government, but Taiwan does not criticize him. Taiwan’s motivation is understandable, but it puts Taiwan on the wrong side of democracy development in Guatemala, and increases the likelihood that if Arevalo wins the second round, he will terminate relations with Taiwan.

※以上言论不代表旺中媒体集团立场※