In all fairness, opposition parties cannot be blamed for all the problems facing Taiwan. Ma's recent call for self-reflection and realization that cross-party reconciliation is an urgent matter is a heartening sign.
But as the results of the survey indicate, Ma should keep in mind that Taiwan's democratic system will not progress until the opposition parties act in the spirit of democracy, learn to accept election results and give up their self-defeating "scorched earth" political tactics. This is the only standard for judging whether or not Ma makes good on his word.
Chou Yung-hong is the deputy director of the Democratic Progressive Party's department of youth development.
Translated by Daniel Cheng
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