Taiwan seems to be very democratic these days. Decrees and regulations concerned with democracy are almost complete, and shortcomings are made up for by referendums.
In reality, however, Taiwan can at best claim to be democratic in form, not in spirit. So what does this mean? It means that the political culture, especially the culture of decision-making is usually undemocratic and is often anti-democratic.
Compared to former presidents Chiang Ching-kuo (
But such is the reality.
Each time Chen raises his voice, whether it is about one country on each side of the Taiwan Strait, referendums, changing the official name of the country or the creation of a new Constitution, his comrades in the Presidential Office, the Cabinet, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) or the Legislative Yuan all react in the same way
At first, they're startled, not understanding what he means or his motives, they stutter and don't know what to say when discussing the matter among themselves. But in the blink of an eye these lost comrades indeed seem to be the closest of confidantes, with one offering one explanation, another offering a heap of theoretical proof and a third busily clarifying and cooling things down.
Chen's predecessors were dictators, no two ways about it. But, frankly speaking, what is the difference between the one-man decisions of Chen and those of his predecessors?
Even more unexpectedly, that huge supporting government apparatus -- the Presidential Office, the Cabinet, the party -- does nothing without Chen's say-so. Once he utters a word, though, it moves immediately, with its full power. Chen is not the emperor and his words are not imperial decrees, but everyone in the party follows his lead. They believe whatever he says and act as if his words were law. Although the imperial decree is no more, Chen's words still have the effect of an emperor's words.
The bureaucracy in imperial China included a censor. It was not a very high position. A censor followed the emperor, and his only duty was to criticize the emperor's words and behavior. He could tell the emperor what prime ministers and other high ministers dared not say.
The DPP doesn't have a censor, nor is there one in the Cabinet. Although minority factions within the party sometimes try to fill this function, they don't have the president's ear. No matter how loudly they speak, they will at best be considered noise.
Most of the people close to Chen are plotters, they plot and do not criticize -- or they may be plotting while following orders. In the end, all this plotting turns all politics -- including elections -- into one huge conspiracy.
So how can Taiwanese politics avoid becoming a mess and become democratic?
The president, of course, doesn't have to ask the opinions of others every time he opens his mouth. But his sensational statement about the creation of a new Taiwanese Constitution is huge. The number of people who knew of this statement prior to Chen's making it can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Maybe Chen wanted to create a theatrical effect by taking the opposition by surprise. Such effects may be needed in art. In politics, too many theatrical effects only prove a shortage of democracy. Restraint is to be recommended.
Wang Chien-chuang is president of The Journalist magazine.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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