The intense elections for the Sixth Legislative Yuan concluded yesterday without incident, bringing joy to some and disappointment to others. With almost 500 candidates vying for 225 seats, competition was fierce. No matter, voters have now made their decision and the elections are over. We want to congratulate the winners and express our sympathy for the losers.
According to Central Election Commission (CEC) statistics, votes were divided between the different parties as follows: Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), 35.72 percent; Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), 32.83 percent; People First Party (PFP), 13.90 percent; and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) 7.79 percent, with none of the other groups reaching 5 percent. The pan-blue camp won a total of 114 seats, and the pan-green camp a total of 101. The Non-partisan Solidarity Union won six seats, while four seats went to independent legislators. The blue camp formally gained a majority of the 225 seats, but in practice, little has changed from the fifth Legislative Yuan. This caused KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
From a democratic perspective, the inability to gain a majority of the electoral votes demonstrates that one's political point of view does not have sufficient public support. To regain that support, it is necessary to adjust one's actions and ideas to better conform to the wishes of the people. On the other hand, those elected also have to take on a new responsibility: they must deliver on their promises and solemnly take responsibility for the nation and people in order to fulfill the important duties that come with popularly elected office. No legislator wants to become a one-term legislator, which is why they have to be constantly mindful of how to go about winning the public's approval over the next three years.
The last few years in Taiwan have been a period filled with troubles. National development has been a complex issue requiring cooperation between the government and the opposition parties. Taiwan's future, improving the economy, and creating social harmony are all issues that require the efforts of all the people of Taiwan. It is sincerely hoped that, beginning today, the 225 newly-elected legislators will consider how to work for the nation and the people of Taiwan.
For many years, the legislature has been criticized for being a stage for some legislators who have ignored their duties, and who only sought to remain in the media limelight. This situation has inspired public dislike for the chaotic legislature, and it is something that the newly-elected legislators should keep in mind.
Another longstanding shortcoming of the legislature is that many legislators have given priority to party ideology and showed a lack of national consciousness and awareness that the people of Taiwan should be the top priority. The result has been that, as they have been faced with proposed legislation or major national policy issues, they have generally staunchly adhered to the party position and ignored the question of whether the issues at hand would be beneficial to the nation and the people. We have often seen legislators agree on an issue just for the sake of agreement, or oppose it for the sake of opposition, while having no interest in discussing the merits of the issue.
Frankly speaking, this politicized atmosphere has let the nation down and meant that many urgent economic and social issues have not been given timely resolution. This has resulted in a great blow to national competitiveness.
With the election of a new Legislative Yuan, we truly hope that legislators will be able to correct their bad habits and establish a more rational style of political debate. From the point of view of the general public, what is clearly hoped for is that legislators can put aside their narrow party affiliations and take a calm and thoughtful attitude toward reviewing legislation and important government policy.
Only by doing so will they bring to bear the intellect and responsible attitude that legislators are expected to have, and in so doing help to make the legislature a true congress for Taiwan.
Elections necessarily give rise to strong feelings between political parties and individual legislative candidates, but now that the elections are over, past frictions should be put aside and legislators should compete in their efforts to benefit the country and its people.
As in the previous legislature, the sixth Legislative Yuan also has a majority and a minority camp. This is the norm for democratic countries. But at the same time, the majority and the minority should not exist in a perpetual state of confrontation. In the past, the majority used bullying tactics and a minority was constantly in a state of resistance.
This model is clearly no longer suitable in the context of Taiwan's increasingly mature democracy. This war of attrition between the legislative majority and the minority is not constructive, and completely ignores the fact that it is the people who are the real masters of this country.
Indeed, in the new legislature, the majority should respect the voice of the minority, and the minority should act rationally in the face of the majority. What is most important is that they should cooperate with each other for the benefit of the country and the people.
Some people have seen in the election results a subtle shift in the balance of power between the pan-green and pan-blue camps. This cannot be denied, but this shift is a direct result of the elections rather than the factor that dictated the result.
If we compare the presidential with the legislative elections, it is not difficult to discover that in making use of the democratic process, the electorate already has established its own sense of identity. They clearly seek to control the political process rather than be controlled by it.
The electorate gave the pan-green camp the presidency, but by a slim margin kept them from obtaining control of the legislature; it denied the pan-blue camp the presidency but consolidated their hold on the legislature. In this situation, neither camp can do as they please, and the final mediator of their actions is the people. Both ruling and opposition parties should realize this, and in their political competition, they cannot afford to forget who's boss.
The pan-blue camp will continue to maintain its control of the legislature, but executive power remains in the hands of the pan-green camp. So in fact, little has changed.
Whether it's the executive or legislative branches of government, both sides should heed the voice of the people. Every political party has the opportunity to make policy proposals and work toward their realization. But whatever their proposals, it is the people who make the final decision.
Any election will have winners and losers, but if after the elections political parties are able to put aside their enmity and uphold democratization, promote the security and harmony of society and work together, the ultimate winners will be the 23 million people of Taiwan.
translated by perry svensson and Ian Bartholomew
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