It was clear from last Saturday's election debate that the nation's politicians have learned little about democracy. Even though presidential candidates and the political parties enjoy full freedom of speech, they have never abided by democratic rules or paid much attention to the law. Politicians use negative propaganda strategies to attack their opponents but rarely do they base their claims on solid evidence. Such irresponsible accusations can be heard on a daily basis. No wonder the media has compared the campaign to a mud-slinging war between wild kids.
Over the past week or so, the opposition parties and legislators have quoted from letters by a fugitive tycoon that called the Presidential Office a hub of "black gold" politics and insinuated that some high-level members of that office were involved in corruption. Then the opposition seized on first lady Wu Shu-chen's (
It is the responsibility of the opposition to monitor the government. The problem, however, is that since the opposition is making such serious accusations, voters expect it to produce concrete evidence and lodge complaints with the judiciary so that the judicial system won't be tarnished and social justice may be upheld.
But the opposition has not done this. The accusations remain at the level of verbal accusations. When the Presidential Office said it would file defamation lawsuits against its accusers, these people were quick to change their tune, claiming that they were simply quoting from information provided by the fugitive tycoon. They are neither willing to take responsibility for their words nor apologize.
Such behavior is disappointing.
The nation's democracy cannot continue to be built on the basis of mud-slinging. What political parties say should be checked and balanced by the media. Voters must also responsibly use their ballots to help put an end to negative campaigning so that errant parties and politicians may learn a lesson from this year's presidential election.
To ensure that Taiwan's democracy continues to develop on the right track, we urgently need a new constitution compatible with the current reality to lead the nation's political development and to free it from the shackles of the past. Constitutional reforms will help rebuild the people's confidence in the judiciary. This will have a deterrent effect on law-breaking political parties and politicians.
Without a new constitution, the development of Taiwan's democracy will be endangered and the judiciary will once again be subject to political interference. If the democratic system is not strengthened, fugitives such as Chen Yu-hao (
If Taiwan does not continue to deepen and stabilize her democratic foundations, if political parties stop at nothing to tarnish their opponents or sow discord in society, then ethnic hostilities may worsen and any effort at nation building will come to nought. Taiwan needs to deepen its democratic system to consolidate social unity and public opinion and promote ethnic harmony and national identity.
Such an effort is needed to prevent white-collar criminals from committing more mischief. Only then can Taiwan have the conditions it needs to undertake judicial and legislative reforms. Only then can a democratized Taiwan resist external threats and enjoy true stability and peace.
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