The upcoming county and municipal elections are inherently local-issue oriented. It follows that, under normal circumstances, concerns regarding national sovereignty shouldn't enter voters' minds when they go to the polls.
But these are no normal local elections.
For starters, these elections give political observers their first opportunity to take the pulse of Taiwanese sentiment after China's enactment of its "Anti-Secession" Law and the formation of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) alliance.
To add to their significance, these elections have tacitly been transformed by the two major parties into the warm-up for the next legislative and presidential elections.
Given that the coming two years might amount to a very critical period in shaping Taiwan's future -- specifically in deciding whether or not Taiwan's democratization process will continue -- and given that the outcomes of these local elections will provide the most current insight into the shifting political winds, the importance of these elections can't be overemphasized.
For instance, many of Taiwan's supporters in the US are looking to these elections for reassurance. It goes without saying that how this group perceives the direction of Taiwan's democratization will have direct bearing on the US government's decisions regarding its "one China" policy.
Meanwhile, Beijing is watching intently and weighing the possibility of tightening the screws even further. Conversely, Beijing might conclude, after the elections, that its current tactics need rethinking.
Against such a backdrop, talk by pan-green supporters in advocating staying away from the ballot booths to "teach President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) a lesson" seem to make little sense.
This protest-by-absence approach is utterly ineffective and self-defeating.
The scope of the KMT's past misdeeds is well documented. Most remarkably, the KMT's culture of corruption persists even after Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Still, the KMT's biggest offense is its continuing collaboration with Beijing to attempt to effect "unification" by stealth.
The KMT is, therefore, not only unrepentant for its decades of abusing power but also actively trying to mortgage Taiwan's future and sacrifice continuing democratization, all for the sake of the revival of its perpetual party-state.
Even though some people might view the upcoming elections as offering two unappetizing choices, it is clear which party should more deservingly be taught a lesson.
If pan-green voters were to stay away in droves, the KMT would make a good showing. In turn, the KMT-CCP alliance would be greatly encouraged and would double its assault on Taiwan's democracy. The momentum could then be carried over to the presidential and legislative elections and eventually prove disastrous for the democratization process.
And that couldn't possibly be what the pan-green voters want.
Instead, the Taiwanese people should place the order of "lessons" correctly, so that the political party that has the potential to do Taiwan the most harm would be stopped first.
Should the KMT perform poorly in the elections and further falter in the elections for the presidency and legislators, it would have no choice but to learn from its defeats. The KMT might decide to localize again so that Taiwan would then possess two major native parties.
The two parties could then usher in a new era of clean politics in Taiwan.
The Taiwanese people can then set their collective sights on the day when there exists no need for people to become captives of any political party on account of fear -- be it the fear of war or the fear of losing the nation's sovereignty and each individual's freedom.
Huang Jei-hsuan
California
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