It was sad to see a political party with a glorious past such as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) register a voter turnout of just 19.96 percent in its chairmanship election on Sunday. It was an indication of the DPP rank and file's indifference to the election and the party's leadership should take note.
The major task facing chairman-elect Yu Shyi-kun is rekindling party member enthusiasm. The party's rank and file were a vigorous force before the DPP gained power in 2000, backing the nation's first localized political party in its fight for democracy as it challenged the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government of the time.
Unfortunately, since the DPP's defeats in the 2004 legislative elections and last month's local government elections, morale has collapsed. If the party fails to regain its spirit and reinvigorate its leadership in the face of these setbacks, it is likely to lose the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections at the end of the year. The follow-on from this is the likelihood that the presidency will be handed back to the KMT in 2008, precipitating a crisis within the DPP.
In light of the DPP's contribution to democracy in Asia, it is disheartening to see the party sullied by corruption and abuse of power by a few of its members. Beyond that, the party's hesitation and indecisiveness regarding the best way to safeguard Taiwan have also betrayed the expectations of many of its supporters.
This has led to a waning in the public's enthusiasm toward deepening democratic development and social reform, contributing to pessimism about the nation's future. This has undermined the public's faith in the possibility of building a real community.
In the face of these challenges, Yu's role is crucial. He must transcend factional disputes within the party and listen to the grassroots. Only in this way will he be able to act as a conduit between ordinary party members and the leadership, and regain the trust of the rank and file. He also has to rebuild the party's image and be willing to adopt strict measures against any colleagues who are guilty of corruption.
Those involved in corruption or abuse of power, or who are guilty of vote-buying, should be ejected from the party and evidence against them handed over to the authorities. Any kind of protection or hesitation in punishing wrong-doing will only damage the party's reputation further.
The founding members of the DPP -- who braved prison sentences and sacrificed everything to establish a party that could speak for the people of Taiwan and fight for democracy -- can only be deeply disappointed about the situation the party is in today. Yu once said that he had the spirit of a water buffalo. Now is the time for him to show the simplicity, tireless effort and industriousness that that image implies -- to revive the party and allow the nation's democracy to be passed to future generations.
Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) led a bipartisan delegation to Taiwan in late February. During their various meetings with Taiwan’s leaders, this delegation never missed an opportunity to emphasize the strength of their cross-party consensus on issues relating to Taiwan and China. Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi are leaders of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Their instruction upon taking the reins of the committee was to preserve China issues as a last bastion of bipartisanship in an otherwise deeply divided Washington. They have largely upheld their pledge. But in doing so, they have performed the
It is well known that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) ambition is to rejuvenate the Chinese nation by unification of Taiwan, either peacefully or by force. The peaceful option has virtually gone out of the window with the last presidential elections in Taiwan. Taiwanese, especially the youth, are resolved not to be part of China. With time, this resolve has grown politically stronger. It leaves China with reunification by force as the default option. Everyone tells me how and when mighty China would invade and overpower tiny Taiwan. However, I have rarely been told that Taiwan could be defended to
It should have been Maestro’s night. It is hard to envision a film more Oscar-friendly than Bradley Cooper’s exploration of the life and loves of famed conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. It was a prestige biopic, a longtime route to acting trophies and more (see Darkest Hour, Lincoln, and Milk). The film was a music biopic, a subgenre with an even richer history of award-winning films such as Ray, Walk the Line and Bohemian Rhapsody. What is more, it was the passion project of cowriter, producer, director and actor Bradley Cooper. That is the kind of multitasking -for-his-art overachievement that Oscar
Chinese villages are being built in the disputed zone between Bhutan and China. Last month, Chinese settlers, holding photographs of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), moved into their new homes on land that was not Xi’s to give. These residents are part of the Chinese government’s resettlement program, relocating Tibetan families into the territory China claims. China shares land borders with 15 countries and sea borders with eight, and is involved in many disputes. Land disputes include the ones with Bhutan (Doklam plateau), India (Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin) and Nepal (near Dolakha and Solukhumbu districts). Maritime disputes in the South China