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Editorial: The grunt versus the spider

So President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has bowed to snowballing scandals and declared himself a lame duck.

There are those within the pan-green camp who might be happy at the prospect of Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) being able to distance himself from the Chen administration, which has wandered from disaster to disaster during the president's second term. Many are already counting on Su to bear their standard in the 2008 presidential election, viewing his charisma and plain-talking pragmatism as their only hope against the golden boy from Hong Kong, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

But the president's decision poses dangers for Su. After all, it is unlikely the move will defuse any of the scandals plaguing the administration. The insider-trading scandal that has ensnared Chen's son-in-law reflects on the first family's honor and integrity.

As Presidential Office Spokesman David Lee (李南陽) told the media yesterday "In this society, if there's a scandal about a member of your family, it is a shame on the whole family."

The stain of corruption has tainted Chen. Even if he is completely honest, he has surrounded himself with the crooked and the corrupt -- and in the case of former top adviser Chen Che-nan (陳哲男) -- he brought a criminal into his administration. So the logic behind the pan-blue parties' calls for Chen to resign is guilt by association.

And this is what brings us back to Su. The premier faces a number of difficulties as he tries to balance his responsibilities as the nation's chief executive with the need to distance himself from Chen.

The basic problem is that, regardless of what happens to Chen, Su is going to be left with the unenviable task of cleaning up the mess. It is Su that must deal with the aftermath of the various scandals that have erupted. It is Su who will have to take the flak for the landslides, floods, typhoons, crop damage, financial problems and myriad other issues that a premier has to deal with each year.

Contrast this with Ma, who has no national responsibilities. As Taipei mayor, he is responsible for the most developed and wealthiest part of the nation, which may have periodic problems, but obviously not on the scale of the rest of the country. So Ma isn't likely to have to make many decisions of national import. He will appeal to voters because all he has to do is sit on the sidelines and snipe at the administration with carefully crafted press releases.

But Su is in the trenches. He has to get himself down in the dirt of the day-to-day operations of the government. Su will have to demonstrate whether or not he has the ability to lead this nation long before he ever has a chance to run for head of state.

One suspects that Ma isn't being entirely sincere when he implies Chen should step down. He must be satisfied with things as they are now: The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration is in disarray, beset by scandal and unable to find its direction. His most likely rival for the presidency is at the mercy of forces beyond his control, and Ma will have ample opportunities to let his henchmen knock the premier down a notch or two whenever a problem erupts.

Of course, what is best for Ma is not necessarily best for the country. The people should ask themselves why it is that Su is where he is now. They should ask themselves if they would prefer a leader who is unafraid to risk his political capital simply to get things done, as is Su, or one who calculates from the shadows and takes advantage of others' mistakes, as does Ma.

If Taiwan chooses the spider, it shouldn't cry when it gets bitten.
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