In 2009, Tsai Ing-wen, then the chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), led the “Anti-Toxic Beef, Anti-Betrayal, Anti-Deception” march. Back then, the DPP’s narrative framed Ractopamine-treated beef as “toxic.” Fast forward to 2020, and the narrative shifted, claiming that Ractopamine-treated pork does not equate to “toxic pork.”
On November 14, 2009, during the demonstration against the import of high-risk American beef, Tsai Ing-wen took the stage and delivered the following speech:
“Today we are going to march, and our march has a very important purpose: to protect the health of every one of us, to protect our fathers and mothers, our friends, our sons and daughters—to protect the health of our entire citizenry.”
Tsai Ing-wen pointed out:
“(American beef) is a livelihood issue; it is not a political issue. We are taking to the streets today for the health of all citizens. Our government, when dealing with the (American) beef issue, never consulted us, never consulted the legislature, never consulted the opposition parties, and certainly never told the public what they were negotiating or what they intended to do. This kind of government is opaque; it is a government that bullies the people.”
Tsai continued her critique:
“We are a democratic society. Regarding a public issue, we must all have public participation to ensure the health of the entire nation. This government has violated democratic principles and the principle of transparency. This is not the democratic government we elected.”
She then addressed the government’s tactics at the time:
“This government, under public pressure, has adopted a circuitous tactic, using ‘Three Managements and Five Inspections’ to bypass us, to deceive us, and to deceive the legislature. During inter-party negotiations, they said they would legislate a ban, and that by November 17, they would complete the legal amendment to prohibit imports. Now, the Kuomintang (KMT) has already begun to back out. Instead, they want to write the contents of the agreement into our laws, turning the agreement into domestic law to bind us even tighter and bully us even more, making our deception even deeper. Should we take to the streets to protest such a government? SHOULD WE?!”
Tsai emphasized:
“Our stance is very simple; there is only one. The government must return to the negotiating table and restart negotiations. Open everything up and have a proper discussion to ensure our citizens’ health is guaranteed and protected. This is what we expect the government to do for us. If they cannot do it, we tell them to step down! IS THAT RIGHT?!”
Tsai concluded:
“Our demand today is simple: there is only one—restart negotiations. Before negotiations are held, imports must not be expanded, and they must guarantee that these items cannot be imported. Is that right?!” (The crowd shouted ‘Yes!’). Tsai further remarked, “I hope everyone stays safe while marching, but speak our demands out loud, okay?!”