The Jan. 16 presidential election saw Taiwan elect its first female president in Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and set the stage for the nation’s third transition of power, representing an expression of gender equality and democratic development. The DPP also won an absolute majority in the legislature, heralding a new phase for politics in Taiwan.
The DPP made five major campaign promises related to political reform before the election, concerning generational justice, government efficiency, legislative reform, transitional justice and ending political squabbling.
The party’s pledge to push for neutrality in the legislative speakership is refreshing. The new legislature is due to elect a legislative speaker on Monday. Can it meet public expectations by electing a respectful speaker to draw up a blueprint for the rational operation of the legislature? This is to be the first test of whether the DPP can keep its promises.
Reform is a complex subject, predominantly revolving around issues concerning class, ethnicity and gender. The pan-green and pan-blue camps offer different solutions to problems deriving from ethnicity, with unique difficulties that Aborigines face having long been largely overlooked. Taiwan is often regarded as a haven for the rich. The issue of ethnicity is tied up with questions of personal identity, and the uneven distribution of wealth is part and parcel of Taiwan being a market economy.
There are no easy solutions to either problem, but both are ripe for reform, conducted with fairness and justice. Within a democratic nation, this usually entails two main points: First, conducting such reform in line with constitutional democracy and the protection of human rights; and second, working toward making social mobility available to all, irrespective of class, ethnic background or gender.
Taiwan has made some progress on maintaining constitutional politics and promoting human rights, but not enough has been done to support vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. In terms of ethnicity, it is of paramount importance that something is done to resolve a deep divide between the pan-green and pan-blue camps, and between the pro-unification and pro-independence elements, which is tied to individuals’ respective ethnic identities. The government has failed to truly realize Aboriginal autonomy, leaving many Aborigines marginalized.
Economic growth must be pursued for the sake of national development. However, with a goal of expanding the market, the government has tended to favor big business over the needs of workers, leading to a burgeoning wealth disparity between white-collar and blue-collar workers. Despite GDP almost doubling in the past 20 years, salaries have shrunk and workers have had to face forced unpaid leave and temporary work. Surging property prices have only exacerbated the problem. Meanwhile, the national pension system is unsustainable in its current state, and highlights unfairness and injustice between different ethnic groups, classes and generations. Boosting the economy is important, but it should not be done at the cost of justice.
Reform is no easy task. Fortunately, in the “honeymoon period” after the presidential election, the public appetite exists. The new government should adopt a broader vision to turn public support into a driving force for reform. It should try hard to narrow the ethnic gap and ease class confrontations to build a nation based on freedom and happiness. It is the new president’s unshirkable responsibility to address the anticipation of Taiwanese after winning a landslide victory.
Ho Hsin-chuan is a professor in the department of philosophy at National Chengchi University.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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