"Old men forget," said Henry V in William Shakespeare's play of the same title. Taiwan's political system is exactly the opposite. Here, the worries are caused by politicians from every party trying hard to develop youthful tastes and appearances, forgetting that experience accumulated through aging and work is still pivotal in national policy making.
How precious it would be if we could give such weight to the Legislative Yuan, for we are now witnessing intensive negotiations between various factions of the DPP to reach a consensus on moving toward a system of seniority and professionalization for caucus leaders and top executives.
Taiwan's political activities currently revolve around major elections, where the estimated turnout at each campaign rally is immediately announced by the broadcast media. Politics has yet to develop independent of such "popularity" indexes. Whether campaign rallies before the election or thanksgiving tours after, politics is defined by its populist aspect. It is also doomed to the rules of the game requiring pandering to the media, whereby every official who has to rely on votes must always remember the need for attention-grabbing theatrics and keep an eye peeled for opportunities to dance to the music.
But things are just a little bit different at the Legislative Yuan. Even with the media waiting at the scene to catch the most splendid shots, public opinion is not the key to leadership at the legislature. Rather, the key is whether fellow legislators will nod to you. In other words, the power to raise the hammer at the legislature is utterly determined by one's popularity among fellow politicians.
Compared to the kinds of antics displayed in election politics, the DPP legislative caucus has made a weighty decision -- to move toward a seniority-based and professional system. If the various factions in the DPP -- including the Welfare State and Justice Alliance groups -- can forgo their prejudices, this decision will help create a system worthy of being taken seriously. Amid the populist noise of media politics, it will bring us back to the solemnity of parliamentary politics and help cultivate an environment where politicians become strong and mature through the parliamentary process.
Ping Lu is a novelist and social critic.
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