To counter the Chen Shui-bian (
Piloting an airplane without any experience is of course quite dangerous. However, is navigating the national policies of a democratic country comparable? A pilot controls all the buttons on the control panel. The president does not have such authority. Once a pilot takes the pilot's seat, he or she becomes the most powerful person on the plane.
However, even if a new president would like to push for Taiwan independence, it takes a lot more than simply pushing a button, signing a document and changing the national flag. If he or she wants to hold a nation-wide referendum to decide the national status of Taiwan, the appropriate legislation must be approved by the legislature and the people.
Exaggerating the difficulties entailed in carrying out presidential duties is actually the best way of harboring authoritarianism and dictatorship. If we need someone experienced in executing state policies, then it takes only our 10 fingers to tally the number of qualified candidates.
Lee is the only person still alive who has experience as Taiwan's president. As for those with vice-presidential experience, we have Lee, Lien, Lee Yuan-tsu (李元簇) and Hsieh Tung-min (謝東閩). Those with experience in the premier's post include Lien, Siew, Yu Kuo-hua (俞國華), Lee Huan (李煥) and Hao Pei-tsun (郝柏村). Only 10 people are qualified to shoulder the weighty load of presidency. Isn't it preposterous?
According to President Lee, only chickens experienced in laying eggs can lay eggs. Using this logic, the KMT will forever remain the only chicken capable of laying eggs in Taiwan.
Control Yuan President Chien Fu's (
That advice illustrates a simple logic. Chen Shui-bian of course does not have any experience in the presidency, because he has never been the president. If, without such experience, one could never win the job, does this mean that whoever holds the presidency shall forever remain there, since no one else has the needed experience? This is true only in the case of a dictatorship.
If Lee wants to criticize the DPP's Chen, there are many ways to go about it. Chen once said "long live Taiwan independence." His check for the construction of a domed stadium bounced. He reversed himself on the issue of imposing a security tax. These are all facts that Lee could use in an attack. Make judgments about Chen based on these facts -- accuse him of "reversing his policies," and "make decisions carelessly."
It is OK for Lee to let off steam once in a while this way. It would be good for one's health. The difference between a civilized competition and a barbaric fist fight, besides the lack of bloodshed, is that the former inspires creativity and wisdom.
There are many ways to attack Chen Shui-bian. Why show off your experience in the presidency? It manipulates people so that they are scared out of their wits and cannot think rationally.
Chen Ro-jinn is a freelance writer.
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