After maintaining a suitable distance from post-election disputes and focusing on reforming his party and reconstituting his Cabinet, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has showed the public that the country is not only moving on but is moving in the right direction.
Chen's decisions so far in reshuffling the Cabinet show that he intends to build leadership in his second term by using the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) own base of talent.
By recruiting new officials, Chen has put the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) failure to reorganize itself in a bad light.
This is a good start.
Chen's greatest challenge now is to translate his campaign message into concrete action. To fulfill his pledges, Chen must have a clear strategy.
Most importantly, Chen must be a chief executive who insists on tough discipline, with Pre-mier Yu Shyi-kun carrying out his policies.
A good executive is one who understands how to recruit people and how to delegate, how to assign authority and responsibility, how to hold people accountable for results and how to mold a group of people into a team.
To accomplish these goals, Chen must succeed in several areas.
He needs to elaborate a strategy. He must explain to the public the direction in which he will lead the nation. What are his priorities? How can he heal the pain and bridge the ethnic divisions that the campaign caused?
He must explain in clear detail how he plans to break the cross-strait deadlock, what pragmatic steps he will take to unite the nation and how Taiwan's economy can be transformed into a new model for globalization.
Moreover, as a reform-minded leader, Chen should take decisive steps to fight crime, reform the educational system and help the disadvantaged.
Chen must build discipline within his administration. One of the key features of the Cabinet's reorganization lies in Chen's recruiting more DPP talent. Doing so helps cultivate the DPP's capabilities as a ruling party and also reinforces Cabinet discipline.
Departmental cooperation can be improved. A more balanced bureaucratic culture can take root.
Chen can reduce displays of "loose-cannon" behavior and policy implementation can be more consistent., eliminating policy flip-flops.
Chen must leverage his assets. His victory in the presidential election should be taken as evidence that the DPP is in line with Taiwan's mainstream. That is, most people believe that the country is on the right track.
The election result reveals a public eagerness for more political stability, economic improvement, governmental reform and social reorganization.
By tackling problems like corruption and crime and addressing issues like economic growth and downsizing of the government, Chen can win the support of people who did not vote for him this time around.
Finally, in addition to "hot issues" like cross-strait normalization and peace, Chen should pay attention to "soft issues" such as school discipline, women's rights, social welfare and healthcare.
If Chen and the DPP show leadership in these desperately important areas, their base of support will grow larger and a favorable environment for creating national unity will be created.
Taiwan's people have paid a high cost for democracy. It's time for Chen to establish himself as a model of leadership for the next generation.
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
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