President Chen Shui-bian (
Having the president serve simultaneously as party chairman is certainly a major change for the DPP and will be a big boost for its government, but there is another development leading to a fundamental change in the DPP -- the party's large-scale recruitment of members.
The DPP now has a registered membership of around 400,000, only half of which pay membership dues. This is a far fewer than the party's electoral support, which has been between 4 million and 5 million in recent elections. But the DPP has been attracting huge numbers of new members recently. Not only are independent political appointees in the Cabinet joining the party, but even in the military, civil service and police forces -- none of which are traditional DPP strongholds -- people are joining the DPP in droves. This massive infusion of new blood will lead to fundamental changes in the party's internal power structure and its social support base.
To prevent KMT infiltration, from its inception the DPP has operated as an exclusive elite party, maintaining internal concord and the party's revolutionary character. This Leninist structure has given the DPP a high level of unity and capacity for action and helped it win political power just 12 years after it was created. But now this structure has become a major bottleneck in the DPP's development. Lacking adequate talent in a number of areas, the DPP has had to beg the KMT to lend its talent. Even in the civil service, a majority of officials are KMT members and most of them have resisted DPP rule. Absorbing large numbers of servicemen, civil servants and government officials will help the DPP resolve this predicament.
In the past, the KMT used both coercion and gimmickry to get servicemen, civil servants and teachers to join the party to develop a social control mechanism in which the party and the government were one and the same.
But the DPP should realize that absorbing massive numbers of such people is a transitional, expedient measure aimed at fighting poison with poison, diluting the pro-KMT bent within the government. In the long run, however, the civil and military services will need to transcend all partisan interests and remain neutral. The DPP must not follow the KMT's example and turn the government into a partisan force.
The DPP enjoys a high level of support in society far beyond its membership because the party has been able to offer political vision and has been brave about soul-searching and self-correction. As it integrates party and government operations, the DPP should watch out for the merry-go-round effect. Many people will join the DPP because the party is now in power and can therefore offer them benefits, not because they sympathize with the DPP's ideals. The diversification and fall in membership quality is an inevitable consequence of a party expanding its social support base. The DPP should carefully screen applications for membership to avoid the infiltration of political opportunists and people with "black gold" connections.
While absorbing new members, the DPP must also rid itself of the superstition about size. Big is not necessarily beautiful. Just look at how the KMT lost its ideals, discipline and finally public support just to maintain its image of being a big party.
The Chinese government on March 29 sent shock waves through the Tibetan Buddhist community by announcing the untimely death of one of its most revered spiritual figures, Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche. His sudden passing in Vietnam raised widespread suspicion and concern among his followers, who demanded an investigation. International human rights organization Human Rights Watch joined their call and urged a thorough investigation into his death, highlighting the potential involvement of the Chinese government. At just 56 years old, Rinpoche was influential not only as a spiritual leader, but also for his steadfast efforts to preserve and promote Tibetan identity and cultural
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Former minister of culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) has long wielded influence through the power of words. Her articles once served as a moral compass for a society in transition. However, as her April 1 guest article in the New York Times, “The Clock Is Ticking for Taiwan,” makes all too clear, even celebrated prose can mislead when romanticism clouds political judgement. Lung crafts a narrative that is less an analysis of Taiwan’s geopolitical reality than an exercise in wistful nostalgia. As political scientists and international relations academics, we believe it is crucial to correct the misconceptions embedded in her article,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
RSS