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Chen and his DPP should now take action

The post-election political landscape in Taiwan has created a lot of room for political maneuvering. The ruling DPP, soon to be the largest party in the Legislative Yuan, is in the middle of transforming itself into a more responsible political force.

Regretfully, the party itself has not shown the determination needed to lead Taiwan into the next phase. Rather, some members of the DPP have displayed their ambition for political power by joining the competition for the post of speaker of the legislature. Others tested public opinion by proposing a constitutional amendment to replace the current five-branch government with a three-branch system.

In an attempt to set a tone for those diverse scenarios, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) unveiled a short-term blueprint in his New Year message by emphasizing the need to focus on both legislative reform and government restructuring as two milestones for national progress and democratic consolidation. Chen said that constitutional reforms such as a plan to move to a three-branch system of government may be put aside until there is wider support for the proposals and legislative and government reforms would be top priorities.

Chen's pledges demonstrated the administration's prudence when it comes to proceeding with major domestic reforms and building broad-based support for the proposed measures.

The incorporation of such a bottom-up and cross-party mechanism constitutes the key strategy of the Chen administration to solve domestic issues. Given the controversial nature of proposals for constitutional amendments, the government must not act in haste, but wait until the ruling and opposition parties -- as well as the public -- have reached a consensus.

It is generally acknowledged that legislative reform and the improvement of the government are the most urgent problems for the ruling DPP to tackle. To deal with them successfully, the opinions of the ruling and opposition parties, as well as the general public, should be incorporated during the process to downsize the executive and legislative branches. By doing so, policy would be based on a more solid foundation.

Since the maintenance of political stability and the rejuvenation of the economy constitute the major public concerns at this moment, the government should try its best to create a common ground for all political forces.

Just because the DPP will become the largest party does not mean it can do whatever it wants regardless of public interests. Nor can it implement key policies without setting up priorities first. Chen should use the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle to form a strong and determined executive team that is able to meet all challenges and move forward courageously. The new Cabinet must be able to do two things to lead Taiwan in the right direction.

First, it must complete ongoing reforms, such as financial restructuring, the crackdown on "black gold" politics and vote buying.

Second, this new Cabinet should be able not only to charter a new course for the development of Taiwan, but also resolve smaller issues that people encounter in their daily lives. In this regard, Chen should focus on specific issues such as school discipline, women's rights protection, social welfare and health care. Voters are in desperate need of this and if Chen and the DPP lead with issues in those fields, it will help expand his support base and create a favorable environment for Chen's re-election.

The public is craving for change -- a change that can be realized by improving their way of life and by creating a cleaner and more energetic environment. It's time to take action.

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