In an attempt to jump-start pan-green cooperation, President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen praised the TSU lavishly for its consistent embrace of the nation's mainstream values, for safeguarding Taiwanese identity and for playing a competent role as the "loyal opposition." He called for a joint effort to help the government do a better job and to lead the nation away from constant political wrangling.
Chen's latest message has significant implications. First, it appeals to the pan-green candidates to make the political pie big enough to share, by highlighting the importance of vote distribution among pan-green supporters. It also foresees an inevitable competition between the DPP and the TSU under the current electoral system. But it also holds out hope that both sides can minimize division within the pan-green camp.
Compared to their pan-blue counterparts, pan-green members have a shot at consolidating a majority in the Legislative Yuan. However, the party's contesting election strategies and campaign appeals naturally cause frictions within the camp.
The nation's unique single non-transferable voting system means that candidates compete with contenders from both the opponent parties and their own party. Such rules of the game facilitate intra-party frictions if there is no strict party discipline or coordinated nomination strategy.
The greatest challenge to TSU-DPP collaboration is that the TSU also draws most of its support from southern Taiwan. To broaden their base of support, both the DPP and the TSU must come up with a better designed system of vote allocation.
Moreover, the differences between the DPP and TSU on key issues could affect voters' party affiliation. Being characterized as a more left wing and Taiwan-centered fundamentalist political force, the TSU has made the enacting of a new constitution and a new name for Taiwan its main campaign appeals to the voters. As a smaller party, it is understandable that the TSU will want to develop its own campaign slogan and distinct appeal.
The DPP, on the contrary, has stuck with a more incremental constitutional reengineering process in accordance with the current ROC Constitution -- as outlined by Chen in his inauguration address. In light of the sensitivity of the US-Taiwan-China relationship, the DPP must convince both international and domestic audiences it will take a cautious approach in dealing with constitutional issues.
But can these two parties cooperate with each other on the process of constitutional revision? To what extent can Chen and his party allay concerns -- especially from the US -- that he's not just engaging in a "good cop, bad cop" routine?
Although the DPP has not yet revealed its concrete steps towards constitutional reform, the ruling party will probably incorporate a more moderate method of dealing with constitutional issues. By doing so, it helps the ruling party differentiate its candidates from TSU candidates.
Furthermore, the DPP should utilize its governmental resources and the gradually recovering economy as driving forces to boost its own campaign momentum. The key goals laid out by Chen in his inaugural speech -- the promotion of ethnic harmony, the establishment of peaceful cross-strait relations and the build-up of a mature civil society -- are the fundamentals of the DPP platform.
In order to achieve those goals, better and more detailed techniques of vote distribution should be adopted by the pan-green camp.
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
Speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on May 13, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that democracies must remain united and that “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism.” Earlier that day, Tsai had met with a group of Danish parliamentarians led by Danish Parliament Speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, who has visited Taiwan many times, most recently in November last year, when she met with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office. Kjaersgaard had told Lai: “I can assure you that ... you can count on us. You can count on our support
Denmark has consistently defended Greenland in light of US President Donald Trump’s interests and has provided unwavering support to Ukraine during its war with Russia. Denmark can be proud of its clear support for peoples’ democratic right to determine their own future. However, this democratic ideal completely falls apart when it comes to Taiwan — and it raises important questions about Denmark’s commitment to supporting democracies. Taiwan lives under daily military threats from China, which seeks to take over Taiwan, by force if necessary — an annexation that only a very small minority in Taiwan supports. Denmark has given China a
Many local news media over the past week have reported on Internet personality Holger Chen’s (陳之漢) first visit to China between Tuesday last week and yesterday, as remarks he made during a live stream have sparked wide discussions and strong criticism across the Taiwan Strait. Chen, better known as Kuan Chang (館長), is a former gang member turned fitness celebrity and businessman. He is known for his live streams, which are full of foul-mouthed and hypermasculine commentary. He had previously spoken out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and criticized Taiwanese who “enjoy the freedom in Taiwan, but want China’s money”
A high-school student surnamed Yang (楊) gained admissions to several prestigious medical schools recently. However, when Yang shared his “learning portfolio” on social media, he was caught exaggerating and even falsifying content, and his admissions were revoked. Now he has to take the “advanced subjects test” scheduled for next month. With his outstanding performance in the general scholastic ability test (GSAT), Yang successfully gained admissions to five prestigious medical schools. However, his university dreams have now been frustrated by the “flaws” in his learning portfolio. This is a wake-up call not only for students, but also teachers. Yang did make a big
RSS