Huang Hsin-chieh

Huang Hsin-chieh (Chinese: 黃信介 August 20, 1928 – November 30, 1999) was a Taiwanese politician, Taipei city council member, National Assembly representative, Legislative Yuan legislator, publishers of Formosa Magazine.^[1] and Taiwan Political Theory magazine (台灣政論), senior Dangwai Leader,^[2] third chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and senior adviser to the president of the Republic of China. He was born on August 20, 1928 during the period when Taiwan was under Japanese governance also known to the Japanese as the Japan governance period of Taiwan and was fluent in Japanese and Taiwanese. He married Chang Yueh-ching (張月卿) in 1954 and had four children and adopted sons. They lived in a modest residence on Chongqing N. Rd in Datong District, Taipei City for over three decades.

On November 30, 1999, he died of a heart attack in Taipei at the age of 71.^[3] He is survived by his four children, adopted sons and their grandchildren. For his contribution to Taiwan's democratic movement and sacrifices for his country, he is credited as being the "Father of Taiwan Democracy" (台灣民主之父), "DPP's forever grandfather (民進黨永遠的歐吉桑), DPP's forever great elder (民進黨永遠的大老), and the immortal Hsin-chieh (信介仙).

President Lee Teng-hui on January 18, 2000 awarded Huang Hsin-chieh the posthumous citation for activities to promote political reform, nation building, and democracy advancement.^[4]

總統府資政黃信介，資性豪邁，氣宇深宏。早歲負笈東瀛，篤學能文，頭角初露。考取北京大學政治系，適值國事蜩螗，遂未成行。嗣卒業國立中興大學，才識淹貫，英雋早發。膺選臺北市議員、立法院立法委員、國民大會代表等職，推動國家建設，致力政治興革，勞瘁罔辭，靖獻孔彰。曾任民主進步黨第三、四屆黨主席，竭智藎籌，厚植民主丕基。參與國是會議，化解修憲僵局，折衝陳力，勳猷並懋。綜其生平，宣力民主，有為有守，景行碩德，允孚物望。遽聞溘逝，曷勝軫悼，應予明令褒揚，以示政府崇念耆賢之至意。

Lee's successor Chen Shui-bian established a memorial lecture at the Ketagalan Institute in Huang Hsin-chieh's memory to promote deeper democracy through lectures ranging from constitutional reform^[5] to China-Taiwan-US relations.^[6] Chen Shui-bian's remark:

信介仙，台灣人的歐吉桑。黨外到民進黨的桶箍。台灣民主運動、反對運動的領導者，萬年國會的增額立委；美麗島事件特赦恢復公職；國會全面改選後元帥東征再度當選，三進三出，是立法院的第一人。向強人蔣經國的嚴厲質詢，驚動政壇，終因美麗島事件被羅織成獄。主張自由民主是台灣走向獨立的路線，乃台灣人應追隨的建國精神。

Political career

In 1951, he graduated from Taiwan Provincial College of Law and Business (now known as National Taipei University) and a decade later in 1961, he was elected to the 5th Taipei City council and subsequently as a "permanent" legislator of the Legislative Yuan to fill positions vacated by deceased Chinese legislators in 1969.^[2]

Democracy (Dangwai) Movement/Persecution

In 1977, he and fellow Dangwai politician Kang Ning-hsiang established the dangwai establishment, a loosely knit political faction^[7] to promote democracy, political change and due process of law. The dangwai movement proved to be popular among the Taiwanese for circulation of the Formosa magazine became second island-wide by its third issue,^[8] that the government under then premier Chiang Ching-kuo feared eminent plots to violently overthrow the government.^[9] Huang Hsin-chieh and others, including Lu Hsiu-lien (8th vice-president of the Republic of China), Chen Chu (Mayor of Kaohsiung) Yao Chia-wen (14th President of the Examination Yuan and 2nd Chairperson of the DPP), Chang Chun-hung, Shih Ming-teh (legislator and interim 5th Chairperson of the DPP), Chang Chun-hung, and Ling Hung-hsuan^[10] were arrested by military policemen and secret agents. They were to be tried in military courts, with heavy sentences anticipated.^[1] A system for countervailing social unrest dating back to the methods employed in KMT China.

On March 6, 1980 Huang Hsin-chieh met with his defense attorney, Chen Shui-bian for the first time prior to trial and after three months of confinement, isolation and severe interrogation.^[11] Chen Shui-bian's oral argument and defense strategy was claims that the government failed to follow proper procedure in obtaining evidence thereby rendering evidence inadmissible in court. The judge over-ruled the objection and favored the state's charges brought against Huang Hsin-chieh. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

The other members of the dangwai would all suffered political persecution and injustice to human rights and prejudice of judiciary due process. During his incarceration, he shared a prison cell with fellow dangwai colleague Yao Jia-wen.

References