The Dec. 3 local government elections focused attention on the Kaohsiung Rapid Transport Corp (KRTC) scandal, and as the main culprit Chen Che-nan (陳哲男) was formerly the Presidential Office's deputy secretary-general, this made the administration an easy target for the opposition. This was not the only corruption scandal brought to light during the course of the campaign. There was some truth in the torrent of accusations and suspicion that the campaign generated, and the effect was exacerbated by the public's diminished faith in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who have been inclined to give credence to accusations even when evidence was lacking.
In the last presidential elections, the DPP scrapped through. After their defeat in the legislative elections, the DPP said they would take heed of the lessons taught them by that election, but in fact they did nothing. Not only were they engulfed in corruption scandals, they also failed to remain true to their ideals.
It was only in the run up to the local government elections that some reforms were pushed through, but these were seen as insincere attempts to appeal to the public. Moreover, the same old tactics of smearing opponents once again came to the fore. No wonder the DPP suffered such a thumping defeat last Saturday.
Whether one chooses to call the Dec. 3 elections a skirmish ahead of the 2008 presidential elections, or a "mid-term exam," the DPP was soundly defeated. Moreover, they have not yet been able to disperse the effects of the opposition's smear campaign, which is another defeat.
A number of important DPP candidates graciously accepted defeat, and DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) announced that he will resign to take responsibility. All of this is good democratic behavior, but as for the results of its self-assessment, we'll have to wait and see.
The DPP is a democratic party that is based on a strong Taiwanese identity, and as such I have some suggestions for its future:
Listen to opinion from all levels of the party. The aim is to unify the party and strengthen its ability at self-examination rather than push blame onto others.
Put the interests of Taiwan ahead of those of individuals or party factions. A reshuffle that does not take account of personal connections is important to the rebirth of the party.
Implement reforms that benefit the people and establish a practical schedule. Power must be used to push forward reforms and establish mechanisms to prevent the abuse of power.
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) resigned from his position as DPP chairman in order to separate party and state, but that has not been achieved. Pursuing reforms in government and the party, cooperation and division of labor between party and government could be useful.
The DPP's biggest defeat did not come when former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong visited China, but it followed Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) assuming of the KMT chairmanship, indicating that the public does not really want the government to relax cross-strait policy. The fact that Ma did not invite Lien to the celebrations of the 111th anniversary of the KMT is also a clear indication of his wish to distance himself from Lien's pro-China policy.
The DPP should not misinterpret the message and open the floodgates to China, but rather it should focus on the issue of effective management.
When it has done all this, it should look toward upcoming elections, especially the 2008 presidential poll, determine to follow the will of the people rather than use political tactics when deploying its forces and making its nominations.
Paul Lin is a commentator based in New York.
Translated by Ian Bartholomew
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
RSS