It seems that the string of corruption allegations swirling around President Chen Shui-bian (
Since the failure of the pan-blue recall motion, a number of groups within the pan-green alliance have made public their support of -- or opposition to -- the embattled president.
The latest incident has seen a group of academics release a statement calling for Chen to consider stepping down.
They accuse the president of failing to clear up the corruption charges, and say he has lost the ability to solve the country's problems as the leader of pro-localization forces.
It is wrong to hold the president to account for the actions of his in-laws, who allegedly took advantage of their rise in social status to peddle influence and obtain insider information. The president cannot be expected to vouch for every member of his extended family.
And while the charges against former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Chen Che-nan (
The accusations against first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), however, are also of concern, and if she is found to have peddled influence in any business deal or taken the infamous Sogo vouchers, whether "directly" or "indirectly," that would be a different matter, for Chen has promised to quit if this is found to be the case.
But even then, would the president stepping down solve anything, and would it be helpful to pro-localization forces in the long term?
The answer is a resounding "No." It would be an unmitigated disaster for the pro-localization movement and would leave a stain on the pan-green camp's reputation that would be hard to erase.
Yes, the first six years of localized government in Taiwan have not been a resounding success, and the president has not been able to push the localization agenda as much as he would have liked. But that has more to do with errors of judgment and resistance from forces inside and outside Taiwan than a lack of will on his behalf. He has been in an extremely difficult position and cannot be faulted for his vision.
Academics aside, the pan-green figures who are arguing about the president's future are not interested in his welfare or the first lady's health; they are more concerned that the controversy surrounding the president and pan-blue mud-slinging has given the party and all things green a bad name, affecting their chances in December's mayoral and city councilor elections.
Some DPP members think the president has become a liability for the party. They believe it will be difficult for candidates to convince the electorate that what the president's close aides and family have allegedly been up to has no bearing on their ability to be a good councilor or mayor.
In a highly partisan political climate this may be true, but what the pan-green camp needs now more than ever is a show of unity. The president may have been naive or even downright foolish, but public requests from people within his own party for him to step down will only prolong the agony for the DPP and present the public with the image of a party in disarray.
Look at the opposition: The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is also full of people with vastly different views on many issues, but since his appointment KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has proved reasonably effective at quickly incorporating any dissenting views to present the image of a united party.
For once, the DPP should swallow its collective pride and learn from its rival.
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