Translation by Jarrod Luo

In the final episode of the historical documentary 《走向共和》, Dr Sun Yat-sen is shown to make a speech to reflect on the turbulent times during the founding of modern China. In this speech, Dr Sun reflected on the 1917 restoration of last Qing Emperor Puyi that lasted only for 12 days. Jarrod is the Hononary Secretary of the Young Democrats. New Asia Republic thanks him for making this translation available.

Fellow comrades

I know, all of you are anxious. Zhang Xun has succeeded in the Restoration of the Qing Dynasty. As a result, Parliament is unable to convene. [Note: the restoration took place in 1917. ROC was founded in 1911.]

However, these events are not the cause of my anxiety. I have been evaluating the state of affairs these days. We were a Republic, yet time and again, the threat of despotism and fedualism re-emerges. If we do not address this problem, the entrenchment of despotism will be inevitable while our republic remains a pipedream.

Equality, freedom and humanitarianism (博爱) are the underlying constructs of a Republican state. Yet in the 6 years since the founding of the Republic of China (ROC), what have we observed? Blatant disregard of the law by public officials while citizens are treated like slaves.

ROC is supposed to be a nation of freedom. After all, freedom is the brith-right of the People. Yet what have we observed in ROC these 6 years? Only individuals who hold power and authority can exercise freedom. Those who hold great power enjoy great freedom while those who hold lesser power enjoy lesser freedom. Ordinary citizens who have no power and authority cannot exercise freedom.

ROC is supposed to be a humantarian nation whereby the masses is considerate of the individual while the individual is considerate of the masses. Yet what have we observed in ROC these 6 years? The love of ordinary people towards power holders is contaminated with fear, while those in power engage in the hypocritical act of paying lip-service to the masses. There is no sincere and humanitarian engagement between the government and the people.

More importantly, ROC is supposed to be nation of the rule of the law. Yet what have we observed these 6 years? We observed how the executive branch unscrupulously undermined the legislative branch. If a member of the legislative branch is disobedient, the executive will try to bribe / co-opt him. If he does not submit, the executive branch will arrest him, or worst, assassinate him. As a result, the legislative branch has become the prostitute of the executive branch.

What is the Executive supposed to be? The Executive consists of a President backed by the cabinet and the civil service. They are supposed to serve the People by administering the Republic. And yet in the last 6 years, what we see is in fact a dynastic, nepotistic monarchy under the guise of the republic. There is no transparency, no checks and balances, in the administrative processes of this monarchy.

I have no idea, and so do you on how the government squanders the hardearned monies accrued from the people as taxes. The people will never know how their monies were being siphoned into the pockets of corrupt officials.

We all know that the judges form the Judiciary yet where does the Judiciary derives its power from? It is a clause enshrined in the Constitution yet this Constitution has yet to see the daylight through out the 6 years since the founding of ROC. What we have in place is a Temporary Provisional Constitution that has been raped time and again.

To some people, isn’t the Republic just a title? These people find my ideas too fictional and fantastical. They think my ideas are not suitable in view of the situation the nation is currently in. They find my ideas are like a balloon – pretty to look at, but shatters once it takes off into the sky.

I’d like to sincerely ask you, don’t we want to establish a republic? Is a republic really a mistake? If we do not want a republic, then what we will be left with, is an eternity of despotism. If we do not want a republic, then what we will be left with, is an eternity of enslavement. If a republic is a mistake, then Freedom is a mistake! If a republic is a mistake, then Equality is a mistake! If a republic is a mistake, doesn’t that make humanitarianism (博爱) a mistake?!

We are not wrong in wanting to pursue a Republic, but of course, it is not quite perfect yet. But that is why we have to, a step at a time, perfect it. Why should we be afraid of paying a price for achieving this? Oh right, I probably look strange in this attire of mine . Even the tailor thinks so. This attire is for the sake of perfecting the Republic.

And I say to you, this IS the Republic! This is the uniform of the Republic. The 3 buttons on the right sleeve represent equality, freedom and humanitarianism (博爱). The 3 buttons on the left sleeve represents civic nationalism, democracy and livelihood of the people. What about the Constitution? I’m not referring to the 3-Branch Constitution but a 5-branch one.

The 5-branch Constitution includes the Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch and the Judiciary Branch. They make up indirect democracy. However, what I have in mind is direct democracy that allows ordinary citizens to participate in political processes and political debates. This shirt pocket represents the 4th branch of government which is the Examination Branch. All citizens have the right to participate in the Examination Branch.

The Chinese people have an ancient tradition of the imperial examination system (科举). In time, we have abolished the imperial examination system (科举). While this is favourable to newer up and coming students who can join the civil service without going through a proficiency examination, it has also led to individuals who are either incompetent or have conflict of interest to become civil servants. This is no good.

In the last 6 years, Yuan Shi Kai’s cronies are appointed to important positions in the civil service. This is why the imperial examination system must be reinstated, so that there would be an examination branch to ensure the right people are holding important positions in the civil service. All potential civil servant candidates should go through an examination process, no matter who they are.

Last but not least, the 5th branch is the Censorate. Why is the Censorate being represented as a hidden layer of the uniform of the Republic? This is because the Censorate is the people’s hammer! Nobody knows where and when it will strike but it can impeach officials who are not doing their job well. This is why all government officials (including holders of political appointment) must be an upright, incorruptible official who serve the people honestly.

Someone is bound to say that I, Sun Yat Sen, must be insane, talking about the Republic through his diet and fashion. He might asked, “What else do you know?” He is right that the only word I know is “Republic”. I dedicate my life to the word “Republic”. We have many comrades and brothers-in-arms who, for the sake of this Republic, have even offered up their lives in sacrifice.

The only wish I have in this life is to let the word “Republic” no longer remain as just a name, an empty phrase, or just a symbol. To let it truly become our daily way of life. To let it become our unshakeable faith. The Republic represents not only the People’s mandate, but also the general direction the world is moving towards to. Those who ride the trends thrive while those who go against the trends perish.

I, Sun Yat Sen, believe that the Chinese people, will definitely bring to fruition to staying true to being a Republic. I stand firm in this belief.