Thu, May 20, 2004 page8

• Editorial: Much must be expected of Chen

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  President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is being sworn in today to his second term as president. Today also marks the fourth anniversary of the end of the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) one-party dictatorship.

  Following this year's presidential election, despite some unrest, society managed to maintain order, with people of every walk of life going about their business and the economy gradually recovering.

  China still continues its suppression of Taiwan. A few days ago, Beijing issued a threatening statement accusing Chen of moving toward independence by planning to draft a new constitution.

  The US, however, showed its commitment to cross-strait security by sending the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk to patrol the waters off the Philippines and by warning China not to make any reckless moves.

  Taiwan is thankful for what the US has done. Although Taiwan-US relations were put to the test during the presidential election due to Chen's insistence on holding a referendum, the friendship between the two countries will endure, in view of shared democratic values and the firm support the US has offered over the years. Taiwan cherishes this friendship and looks forward to more solid relations.

  It is to be hoped that people from both the ruling and opposition parties will offer a loyal critique of Chen's performance during his second term, and uphold stricter standards.

  Chen did not win an outright majority of the vote in the 2000 election -- and the opposition remained in control of the legislature -- so Chen constantly ran into obstructionism on the part of the opposition parties. Things were made worse by the fact that Chen was a new hand at governing the nation and that he had to overcome the burdens of decades of KMT "black gold" policies.

  However, this time Chen won the support of a majority of voters, making this victory more important than the one four years ago. He now has four years' experience and his government is no longer a new government. He is thus responsible for the success or failure of his policies.

  This newspaper, as a public institution, will therefore act as a social conscience, and not only encourage Chen but also criticize him when appropriate.

  In a two-party democracy, the ruling party and the opposition are both bound by responsibilities: The ruling party cannot be arrogant and the opposition cannot avoid responsibility because it's in the minority.

  These duties are inescapable, which means that in the event of a national or social crisis, the ruling party is duty-bound to eliminate the crisis. Opposition parties cannot escape responsibility for cooperating with the government to solve a crisis simply because they are not in a ruling position. This is the true sense of mature party politics.

  Unfortunately, in the ethnic confrontation triggered by differing opinions about national identity, the KMT and the People First Party (PFP) have been unwilling to bear their responsibilities. They created conflict following the election, trying to push the nation into long-term turmoil to gain political benefit.

  The opposition camp has long served as a tool of China, echoing Beijing's stance on the cross-strait issue. The KMT's pro-localization faction has called for party reforms, and many have suggested that the word "Chinese" be eliminated from the party's name. However, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰), obsessed with extending his career, has ignored these calls.

  The KMT's Central Standing Committee yesterday passed a proposal for a merger with the PFP. According to the plan, the party's name will remain the "Chinese Nationalist Party" after the merger. Party reform is absent from the plan -- one sees only Lien and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) sharing political booty. Because of a party concerned only with gaining power, the public's hopes for a loyal opposition may once again be dashed.
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