Recently, 78-year old Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara was re-elected to a fourth consecutive term in a landslide victory. His opponents called for a change of leader and a generational change, but the multiple crises Japan suffered last month — the strong earthquake and the following tsunami and nuclear radiation crisis — made the residents of Tokyo feel that experience, resolve and the ability to put policies into action were the most important factors in choosing a governor.
Strictly speaking, the frontrunners for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential nomination, Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), are not that far apart in terms of age and probably belong in the same age group, so why is one of them trying to garner support from voters by claiming to belong to a “new generation of political leaders,” while the other claims 30 years of political experience?
One possible reason is that one of them is catering to a society concerned with fashion and the latest trends and is trying to come across as a “new product,” while the other believes that Taiwan is under pressure domestically and internationally and therefore an experienced, resolute person is needed to fight President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). This is why the DPP is now split in two, with each side having its strong and weak points.
Many people have the impression that leaders in Western nations are all young, but this is not true. After the Cold War, the US has only had three young presidents.
If we look at France, we can see that since the Fifth Republic was established in 1958 to this year, it has had six presidents. Of these, three were more than 70 years old when they retired from office. Former presidents Charles de Gaulle and Francois Mitterrand retired when they were almost 80 years of age, while the youngest was Valery Giscard d’Estaing, who was 48 years old when he stepped down.
France is a forward-thinking and progressive nation. Don’t they want generational change? Of course they do. However, this change is carried out at the ministerial and parliamentary levels.
The one thing these six French presidents had in common is that they all had between 15 and 30 years political experience at either the ministerial and parliamentary levels. French voters may no longer think that possessing the ability to navigate a ship weighing thousands of tonnes or controlling massive aircraft carriers is so important and that reform, stability, the ability to handle pressure, resoluteness and the ability to handle crises are more pressing qualities.
A generational change is something that happens with time and it does not constitute a problem. Instead, the most important thing for Taiwan is to judge who is most able to ensure its security and development during times of crisis and has the ability to solve its economic and social contradictions.
Su and Tsai have only one shot at the presidency and they need to cooperate with each other, as opposing one another will only assure their defeat.
Chang Wei-chia works as a consultant to the EU Study Association Taiwan.
TRANSLATED BY DREW CAMERON
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