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Editorial: Chen Shui-bian just can't win

On Tuesday night, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) gave an unprecedented "Statement to the People," spending two hours addressing a list of 10 accusations drawn up by opposition lawmakers charging him with being unfit for office.

As expected, those who support the president cheered, while those who oppose him were unmoved and unimpressed.

Supporters of the president were encouraged by his open attitude, reassured of his integrity and gave him a thumbs-up for his speech. But those who remained unconvinced criticized Chen for his windy monologue, lack of sincerity, twisted arguments and failure to provide any concrete evidence against allegations of his wife and his son-in-law's involvement in a series of corruption scandals.

While many more might still be in the process of digesting and forming their opinion of the president's address, one thing is clear: the increasing polarization of the country's pan-green and pan-blue camps.

A recall of Chen can only be warranted if there were substantial criminal evidence linking him to any wrongdoing. That was what Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) initially said himself, before bowing to pressure from people within and outside the party.

The degree to which emotions are fueling the recall motion can be seen from the fact that People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) said that he would quit politics if only Chen were ousted from office. Although that's mostly political rhetoric, it goes to show how much hatred Soong harbors against Chen.

The risk is that the opposition's unreasonable and relentless attack against Chen in its effort to unseat him will arouse more negative sentiment among Chen's supporters. And as pan-green supporters' anger toward pan-blue politicians' tactics gather strength and they start venting their discontent in public, this would in return generate more heat from the pan-blue crowd.

Chen should have realized by now that to some people, no matter how much he tries, his efforts will never be good enough.

For it is sad but true that to some people in this country, there can always be fault found in whatever Chen does, simply because what Chen represents is anathema to fixations on Greater China.

The double standards that the pro-China media apply to Chen were evident when he was severely criticized for giving his son a glamorous wedding -- the very same media had only words of praise when KMT Legislator Lin Yi-shih (林益世) staged a similarly luxurious wedding earlier this month in Kaohsiung at a time when most Kaohsiung residents were suffering from the damages inflicted by torrential rains.

When the opposition bashes Chen, the pro-China media chimes in with charges of incompetence. But when Chen went on the offensive, pro-China political commentators turned around and demanded that he -- as head of state -- should show more tolerance for others and allow more room for criticism.

Either way, Chen just can't win, and national stability is being jeopardized by all of this incessant political wrangling.
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