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Transfer of power needs its own set of standards

In his new book titled The Premier Voyage of the Century (世紀首航), President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) disclosed some never-before-known-stories about Taiwan's first ever change of ruling party last May.

With respect to the transfer of national-security documents, Chen said many files from the old government were not handed over to the DPP at the time of the power transfer last year. The statement not only created a serious debate between the Chen administration and the former ruling KMT, but also demonstrated the lack of institutionalized power transfer in Taiwan.

The change of administration has pushed the nation's democracy into a new phase -- one in which the country reinforces its democracy with real and substantive competition between political parties.

Some politicians, however, have been unable to recover from the frustration of defeat. They lacked the magnanimity to help the new administration complete the transfer of power.

The DPP alleged that ministries under the old administration resisted briefing and updating the new Cabinet members. The then-KMT government defended itself by citing the lack of precedence for such briefings and updates.

Irrespective of who is right or wrong in these controversies, once a standoff emerges during the transition period, gaps in the implementation of policies inevitably result because the new administration won't be able to get a firm grip on the situation immediately.

That explains why Chen portrayed the period right after the transition as dangerous and unpredictable.

Has there truly been a miscommunication between the new and old administrations during the transfer process? It is hard for outsiders to know the truth. However, we can certainly learn from the experiences of other countries on related issues.

Richard Neustadt, an American scholar known for his studies of the US presidential system, once gave some very wise suggestions to John F. Kennedy on the topic of power transfer.

Neustadt submitted several proposals on the transfer process between the new administration and the incumbent Eisenhower administration. He proposed that the president-elect and the future secretary of state ought to have all information on the government and data upon which budgets were made, as well as progress reports on various pieces of legislation. New and old heads of all departments should engage in briefing and discussions without any reservations.

After Bill Clinton moved into the White House, his staff discovered that important documents had been removed by their predecessors. As a result, the adjustment period of the new administration was longer than expected. Even in the US, the change of ruling party will often lead to roadblocks in the transfer of power.

However, greater challenges are entailed in Taiwan's transfer of power.

Not only does Taiwan face threats from China, but also the organization of the new Cabinet has become a complicated power struggle.

If the new administration was forced to waste too much time and effort on power struggles and, as a result, was delayed in getting its policies underway, the ultimate victims would be the people.

Having said that, a tremendous effort must be made to ensure the institutionalization of the transition of power. This is not for the sake of the DPP government but in the interest of the 23 million people of Taiwan.

As the change of ruling political parties becomes customary in Taiwan's politics, we need to abide by the rules of the game to ensure the peaceful transfer of power.

Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
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