President Chen Shui-bian (
Two factors, one long-term and one short-term, have led to the DPP's decline and its losses in last month's local government elections.
The long-term factor is Chen's intervention in the premier's moves to implement policy, which brought the administrative machinery to a standstill. The short-term factor was the blow to Hsieh's image resulting from the scandal surrounding the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. These two knotty problems placed the DPP in a difficult position.
However, these issues may very well improve once Su Tseng-chang (
First of all, in the DPP's political culture, defeat is often an asset rather than a liability. When Su resigned from his post as DPP chairman after the election defeat, his popularity rose to unprecedented heights. The reason for this was that he was willing to take responsibility for the loss, although most believed he was not the one responsible. Placed in stark contrast to Hsieh's unwillingness to resign, Su's exceptional resolve was highlighted.
Second, the long-term factor of Chen's intervention diminishing. Just like Hsieh, Su has sufficient political support within the party to counter Chen. Had Hsieh not been plagued by the KRTC scandal, it would have been difficult for Chen to replace him.
Likewise, it will be easier for Chen to bring in Su than to replace him, and we can also expect Su to use his strength to form his own policies.
Third, the KMT's victory in last month's elections was the result of KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's (
In view of these points, an era of negative political competition is coming to an end, and the DPP after this realignment will be a force to reckon with.
The KMT also has to try to improve itself instead of relying on Ma's popularity alone. The KMT also has to win public support based on positive competition. If the KMT and the DPP can engage in positive and fair political competition, it will be to the benefit of all Taiwanese.
Apollo Chen is a former KMT legislator.
Translated by Daniel Cheng
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and