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Editorial: Where are Taiwan's real leaders?

The presidential aspirations of former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) may be coming under intense pressure, but the pan-green camp doesn't have anything in the bag yet.

A last-ditch effort by Ma to unify his party's disparate elements has failed. Ma had to convince the one man whose support he needed, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), to climb aboard and join his campaign. Wang, however, declined to run as a vice presidential candidate, citing a lack of confidence in the KMT's ability to win the presidency.

The Taiwanese electorate is often crudely described as having two regions: a pro-KMT, largely Mainlander/Hakka north; and a pro-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), largely Hoklo south.

The reality is obviously much more complicated, but this dichotomy reflects certain realities. The results of every major national election since 2000 have shown that the electorate is almost evenly divided between pan-green and pan-blue supporters.

There is no reason to believe that next year's presidential election will buck this trend, which is why the major parties have tried to adopt a "moderate" or centrist posture, at least in theory.

This is why Wang's public slap in Ma's face may be heartening for the campaign of former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷). Hsieh has already demonstrated -- by winning 40.98 percent of the vote in the Taipei mayoral election last year -- that he is a serious contender even in traditionally pro-blue constituencies.

But there is still a long time before the elections, and if the past is any guide, one thing that both parties can count on is trouble from within their own ranks. After all, under revised electoral rules that take effect this year, more than half of all sitting legislators will lose their jobs.

If Taiwanese politics seemed vitriolic before, just think of the mud-slinging and scandal-mongering yet to come as dozens of party hacks from across the spectrum jockey to protect their overpaid jobs and unwarranted influence.

Joseph Conrad, when writing Heart of Darkness more than 105 years ago, described perfectly a scene that sums up this kind of politicking:

"They beguiled the time by back-biting and intriguing against each other in a foolish kind of way. There was an air of plotting about that station, but nothing came of it, of course. It was as unreal as everything else -- as the philanthropic pretence of the whole concern, as their talk, as their government, as their show of work.

"The only real feeling was a desire to get appointed to a trading-post where ivory was to be had, so that they could earn percentages. They intrigued and slandered and hated each other only on that account -- but as to effectually lifting a little finger -- oh, no."

Taiwan's political leaders have proven that they are adept at intrigue and slandering and hating each other. What they have yet to show is that an individual exists in their ranks that can step forward and lead the nation to a better future.

This future will be built upon trust, stability and progress, not on suspicion, chaos and historical grudges.

So it may be too early to develop any firm ideas about how the upcoming months will play out on the political stage, but it is undoubtedly high time that people started calling for enlightenment in the way that political debate is conducted.
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