Next year's presidential election is less than five months away. Theoretically, splendid debates should have taken place already. But all we see is the pan-green camp playing with the Taiwan-independence issue and the pan-blue camp having no vision for running the nation. Middle-of-the-road voters have been forgotten while the two camps are paying excessive attention to their pro- and anti-independence supporters.
In the pan-green camp, a bizarre phenomenon has taken root with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) competing with each other to be the most pro-independence. If one of them raises his voice to promote independence, the other will do so in an even louder voice.
As a result, Chen's announcement to push for a new constitution in 2006 seems like nothing, compared to his latest announcement to implement the new constitution in 2008. After saying that the Republic of China (ROC) does not exist, Lee also made continuous efforts to push the envelope by saying that "China is afraid of the US, and therefore dare not attack Taiwan. Now is the best time for Taiwan to become independent."
Chen and Lee are just like the frog which blows itself up in Aesop's fables. They pretend to be naive, or to be blind to the facts. As for Chen, does a person who lacks vision and a blueprint for running the nation really have the patience and strength to push for a new constitution?
Lee, who strived to integrate the ROC and Taiwan during his 12-year presidency, has denied the ROC's existence since he stepped down in 2000, placing his hope for independence on Beijing's fear of Washington. Where are his consistency and credibility, anyway?
The pan-blue camp has displayed a lazy, rusty style. When the pan-green camp proposed "one country on each side," referendums and a new constitution, the pan-blue camp attacked its opponent for building a Republic of Taiwan. After it found that people's response to its criticism was not good, it corrected itself by claiming that the status quo of the cross-strait situation is "one country on each side," and vowed to launch referendums and amend the Constitution of the ROC once it came to power.
As for its campaign strategy of emphasizing the problems of Taiwan's economy and education reforms, no well thought-through plan or effective remedy can be seen to this day.
In fact, under globalization, all countries are facing the same problems -- such as capital outflow, decreased economic growth, increased unemployment rate, employment conflicts between local and foreign workers and agitation of ethical contradictions. Taiwan can hardly depart from this trend. Nor can this major structural change be solved by the former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government's old methods.
Perhaps the "New Middle Way" beyond Left and Right or unification and independence would be able to solve these problems better, as it advocates helping capital compete internationally while solving domestic unemployment problems; accepting foreign laborers and pacifying domestic ones; and hastening reforms to reduce the negative impact of globalization while maintaining social stability.
Ever since the late 19th century, the middle way has been repeatedly proposed in an effort to reduce confrontations between Left and Right. Political parties and voters in every country have moved toward the center and the middle way has replaced extremes.
Here though, the two camps have surprisingly abandoned median voters for their pro- or anti-independence supporters. It is indeed something unheard-of!
Sun Ching-yu is a freelance columnist.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
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