DPP legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (
Since Chen took office, Taiwan has undergone a series of crises -- including the Pachang Creek (
Consequently, the DPP has finally realized that the current political chaos can never be cleared up unless the ruling party is willing to share its power with the opposition.
Originally, the DPP government was hoping that former president Lee Teng-hui (
On the other hand, since Chen's popularity is far inferior to Lee's, the DPP was also worried that the ruling party might be manipulated by Lee and his alliances. The party was also concerned that the "ethnic sentiments" (省籍情結) between pro- and anti-independence camps might be aroused again, needlessly consuming much of the island's energy and vitality. As a result, the DPP has given up the idea and has now started to re-consider the possibility of forming a coalition cabinet (聯合內閣) with the KMT in order to break through the current political deadlock.
But can a coalition cabinet really help the DPP government break the deadlock?
First, such a suggestion was just an idea proposed by some DPP lawmakers and has never been acknowledged by Chen himself. Even if Chen is willing to part with some of his power to the KMT, the KMT won't necessarily accept it. For example, some KMT lawmakers believe that the DPP government is now passing a "hot potato" to the KMT, so that the KMT will become the scapegoat for the DPP's inability to solve problems. Besides, if the KMT says yes to the coalition cabinet now, Taiwanese people might think that the KMT was simply trying to gain more power all along when it fought with the DPP government. Most likely, people may consider greed for power as the motive for the KMT's motion to recall the president.
Second, due to the conflicts between the KMT and the DPP, a basis for a coalition cabinet is thoroughly lacking at this time. If a coalition cabinet is formed recklessly, more conflicts might be triggered when the coalition government makes major policy decisions in the future. Take the halt of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant construction for example. The pro-nuclear KMT and the anti-nuclear DPP never agreed to any concessions from their respective positions, and completely shut the door on negotiations. The same problem also happened to the workweek amendment and other major policies. Thus, in a backdrop of conflicting ideologies and party interests, how could the KMT and the DPP form a coalition cabinet now? If we take a close look at other countries, we will see that in each instance a ruling party only forms a coalition government with opposition parties with similar stances or interests.
To solve Taiwan's political difficulties, it is best to abide by the Constitution of the ROC to fully implement the "semi-presidential" system (
If Chen will seriously consider these suggestions and face the reality that his party is only a minority in the Legislative Yuan, I believe the political difficulties will soon be solved, and Taiwan will gradually regain its prosperity.
Huang Hsien-chou is a KMT legislator.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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