台湾：枪杀与政治 Gunshot and Politics: The Taiwanese Style

Lien Sheng Wen

在民主制度中同时展示各种不同的面貌，台湾可能是世界上唯一的地方。正面与负面的趋势并存。台湾的选举活动，对于外人来说，可能会被其紧张气氛、杂声、参与者明显的热忱所震撼。

事实上，自二十世纪八十年代台湾从一党专政过渡到全面民主以来，在选举中的暴乱是少见的。台湾黑道的暴行也十分有限，虽然他们对台湾，尤其是对地方县市政府，有很大的政治影响。

可是，情况在去年的五都选举时好像转坏，当时发生了一宗令人窒息而神秘的企图谋杀事件。在11月26日选举前夕的造势大会上，一个抢手开枪，打死一人，还把台湾前副总统、现任中国国民党荣誉主席连战的儿子打成重伤。

一颗子弹从40岁的连胜文的左脸穿过右脸而伤了他，继续把一个在场者打死。

连胜文非常幸运，枪弹并没有被严重伤害到他的嘴巴与喉咙的肌肤。因此，经过医生鉴定他已经脱离危险，11月29日就从国立台湾大学医学院的重症监护病房转移到普通病房。

但是，他的快速的痊愈却引起谣言，有人就上网要求公开X光照片。反对党的支持者甚至质疑枪杀事件是不是自导自演。民进党立法委员叶宜津就在一个电视节目中公开提问：“各界大家都认为，连胜文的枪击案对‘五都’的选举有影响，那么这个枪击案是不是自导自演？”

把一个枪杀的悲剧政治化到这种地步，在台湾就可以发生。

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Perhaps Taiwan is the only place in the world whose democratic system exhibits multiple faces at the same time. Positive and negative trends coexist simultaneously. The observers of election campaigns in Taiwan will be struck by the excitement, the noise, and the obvious enthusiasm of the participants.

As a matter of fact, acts of violence are unusual in election campaigns in Taiwan, which began a gradual transition from one-party dictatorship to fully functioning democracy in the late 1980s. Violence carried out by Taiwan's gangs is also limited, though the gangs themselves exercise considerable political influence, particularly on Taiwanese county governments.

However, things seemed to have changed for the worst at last year’s five special municipal elections when an obligatory mysterious assassination was attempted. A gunman opened fire on a campaign rally on the eve of the elections on 26 November 2010, killing one man and critically wounding the son of Taiwan’s former vice president Lien Chan (Lian Zhan), now the honorary chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).

A bullet pierced through from left to the right side of the face of the 40 year old Sean Lien Sheng Wen, wounding him and killing a bystander.

Lien was extremely lucky that major tissue in his mouth and throat was not damaged by the bullet. As such, he was moved from an intensive care unit to a regular ward at National Taiwan University Hospital on 29 November after doctors determined that he was out of danger.

However, his speedy recovery has fanned rumours, with an online petition calling for the release of his X-rays. The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters even question whether the shooting was staged. DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-chin (Ye Yijin) asked openly in a TV programme: ‘It is widely believed that the gunshot of Sean Lien has effect on the elections. Now, is the gunshot self staged?’

Such is the extent of politicization of a tragedy that can happen in Taiwan.