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Editorial: A vacuous DPP helps Ma's cause

All of the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) worrying about the popularity of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) exposes a basic problem for the pan-greens: their relative lack of political skill.

Whatever else one wants to say about Ma, one cannot deny his skill in avoiding confrontations and ability to sell himself as a pragmatist. Whenever Ma is confronted with an issue, be it cross-strait policy or economic affairs, he backs away from ideological rhetoric and frames himself as a problem-solver.

In short, Ma is a consummate politician: He anticipates what people want to hear, and tells the public whatever keeps them satisfied.

The DPP has not shown itself to be particularly skilled in this regard, because whenever President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and his administration are faced with a problem -- be it corruption scandals or charges of incompetence -- they revert to their ideological roots and attack China. They plug away at the KMT's authoritarian history, they highlight Taiwan's uncertain international status and they lionize pro-independence issues like "name rectification" and constitutional reform.

This would all be fine if most Taiwanese were die-hard independence supporters. But they are not. Despite the electoral gains that Chen made in the 2004 presidential election, there has not been a major shift in the ideological views of most Taiwanese.

Poll after poll has demonstrated that Taiwanese ultimately have a very realistic and pragmatic view about their country's relationship with China.

Taiwanese want to reap the benefits of China's growing economic clout. They want to enrich their own lives by using their industries not to make a political statement about the nation's status, but by making smart investments that will pay off in the future. For this reason, many businesspeople and investors see nothing inherently wrong with investing in China's booming economy.

This, in the end, is why the DPP need not worry about these businesspeople's fixation with China. The booming economy there will not last forever. Eventually, the rollercoaster ride will come to an end, and people will have to seek another form of amusement -- India and Southeast Asia, which the government has rightly identified as possible destinations for investors looking for the next best thing.

No matter where investors turn to once the aphrodisiac of China's economic growth starts to wear off, the point is that politicians here should take the longer view. Taiwan is not in the middle of an economic crisis, but in the throes of a political stalemate. The instability caused by these political troubles has -- and continues -- to cause problems for the nation's long-term economic outlook.

This country has inherited a deeply flawed political system rife with the vestiges of an authoritarian, one-party state. To move beyond the acrimonious impasse that now beleaguers it, Taiwan must depend on women and men of vision and leadership.

It does not need politicians who mouth platitudes and look good on television, such as Ma. He may be skilled at telling people what they want to hear, but can he deliver the ideas and difficult solutions that Taiwan needs to ensure that its democracy succeeds?

The DPP has recently gone on the offensive against Ma, saying he is all show and no substance.

This argument would carry more weight if the DPP showed itself to be a party of substantive ideas. Where are the pan-green leaders? Who in the DPP is ready to stand up and say something worth hearing, rather than just criticize their pan-blue counterparts?

There is still almost two years before the next presidential election. The time to take a stand is now.
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