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Letter: An inevitable defeat

In spite of heavy campaigning by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and other Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials, the DPP performed dismally in last Saturday's elections. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), on the other hand, did well, owing much to its new leader, Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). Some have seen this election as a vote of no confidence in the president and a mid-term election "message" to the governing DPP.

To most long-term DPP loyalists, the defeat was hard to stomach, but it was not unexpected. With one scandal after another involving party stalwarts and cronies -- on charges from insider trading to possible bid-rigging -- the DPP's reputation as the anti-corruption party has crumbled. As a party founded on a reform agenda, expectations were once high. The misconduct of a single DPP official is more devastating than that of 10 KMT officials.

It is well known that a Leninist party such as the KMT has an intricate organizational network around the country. Many KMT candidates are local politicians who are deeply intertwined with local interests, with many under suspicion of corruption. Yet voters opted for them instead of the DPP's well-known, highly educated former political appointees. Endorsement by KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou certainly helped assuage voter reservations about any questionable characters. Yet the more fundamental issue is that many Taiwanese have lost confidence in the DPP.

The DPP was founded in trying times when the KMT ruled Taiwan with an iron fist. Freedom of assembly and speech were suppressed, but courageous individuals formed the DPP. Taiwanese voters supported their ideals and audacity by electing many of these leaders to public office. The election of the DPP's Chen as president in 2000 completed the first ever transfer of power between political parties in Taiwan.

A 14-year-old party, with anti-corruption and democracy as its main platform, toppled a giant party-state apparatus. Expectations and hopes for a new political era in Taiwan were high. It was a remarkable event in modern political history and a first for a Chinese society.

The DPP government's performance since then has been less than stellar to say the least. Cross-strait relations have reached a stalemate, with no substantive dialogue in sight, economic growth has declined and unemployment has risen. Government policy-making is often shortsighted and hasty in nature, with decisions sometimes changing within days.

There are no clear policy objectives. Voters became disillusioned with the DPP as its leaders wavered with major policy decisions, failed to fulfill campaign promises and allied with shady local leaders with strong money and political connections. Although many DPP politicians are law-abiding, truly idealistic public servants, many of their colleagues are more focused on cronyism rather than doing their jobs. The DPP's fall from grace was not accidental. To supporters and others in Taiwan, many DPP leaders and officials have taken their success for granted, and have forgotten their core values.

The problem is that the DPP takes its supporters for granted. DPP leaders often forget that voters owe them nothing, and that most supporters care about the fundamental values and ideals the DPP stands for, but not necessarily the candidates. Now, the DPP has lost the ability to mobilize its supporters. Taiwanese no longer see hope in the party. Expectations may have been set too high, but it is undeniable that the DPP has failed to deliver on its campaign promises.

To many people in Taiwan, the DPP has become a party of internal strife and bickering, a party that encourages the blame game. The DPP's waning electoral performance in recent elections was overlooked and Chen and his party continued to play the China card, which maintains a stranglehold over die hard supporters. Yet recent local elections have exposed the weakness of the party. Besides alienating moderate voters, Chen has been unable to maintain a unified front as he criticizes fellow DPP leaders and utters unkind remarks about the opposition.

Rather than focus on politicking at the expense of its core values, the DPP government must continue to carry out reforms to root out corruption from all levels of government. The DPP needs to undergo some serious soul-searching to regain the people's trust. More specifically, the DPP government ought to focus on setting an agenda for financial, economic, educational and other domestic reform.

Internal strife at this point will only weaken the already fragile DPP and Chen must unite the party to face new challenges brought by the new political landscape after Saturday. Only a strong DPP may ensure that hard-earned democracy will continue to prosper. After all, a stable two-party system is ideal for a maturing democracy such as Taiwan.

Nan Hsin
Taipei
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