The resounding defeat of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in last week's local government elections should not have come as a surprise. This is just the manifestation of overwhelming public disappointment with the current state of the party.
While some of the credit for the election results must go to the rise of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and the new hope that his leadership has instilled in pan-blue supporters, the Kaohsiung MRT scandal also had an impact. However most of the responsibility for its electoral pummelling must be placed squarely on the shoulders of the DPP and its ineptness as a ruling party.
Since it came to power almost six years ago it seems that the party has gradually lost sight of its founding principles, what the party stands for and the kind of people who put it in the position it presently occupies.
Two of the core principles that the DPP once stood for are the promotion of Taiwan and a Taiwanese identity in the face of China's continued threats, and standing up for ordinary citizens.
DPP supporters look to the party to uphold the idea that Taiwan is an independent country and absolutely not a part of China, but since it came to power its policies have not reflected this ideal.
By giving in to business interests time and time again on cross-strait matters the DPP is gradually eroding Taiwan's strong economic identity and helping China to complete its goal of full economic integration with Taiwan (an all too obvious facet of the communist leadership's "united front" tactic).
By pandering to the demands of the business sector and ignoring the rural areas of Taiwan the DPP government is alienating the very people it should be looking after. Bending over backwards to high-powered foreign investors and local business conglomerates may be good for the economy, but it does not necessarily benefit the vast majority of Taiwanese.
Most industrialists and businesspeople are only interested in pleasing their investors and shareholders; they are not concerned about whether their workforce is Chinese or Taiwanese. Allowing them free rein to invest in China will help these companies to boost competitiveness and profitability, and increase the amounts of capital repatriated to Taiwan, but it also puts a few more everyday Taiwanese out of work, Taiwanese who are more than likely to be DPP voters.
Even the KMT, when it was still anti-China under former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), managed to divert full-scale business investment from China with its "go south" policy. Why can't the DPP continue to do the same? It would help to protect Taiwan's identity and bolster national security: two things the DPP reportedly stands for.
Joining the WTO is another case in point. Of course joining such a global organization was somewhat of a coup for Taiwan in its constant struggle for international recognition, and membership certainly benefits the nation's industrialists, businesspeople and consumers. But what benefits does it bring to thousands of small-scale Taiwanese farmers?
Entry into the WTO for Haiti in 1994 and the elimination of agricultural protection resulted in bankruptcy for thousands of chicken and rice farmers within four short years. The population is now totally dependent on the US for imports of cheap rice and turkey meat. In another example, the livelihoods of millions of small-scale and efficient cotton farmers in nations like Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad are under threat thanks to entry into the WTO and subsidized cotton from richer countries.
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