With the PRESIDENTIAL primary of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) approaching, the candidates were naturally a topic of conversation when I met with friends during my most recent visit to Taiwan.
However, after I openly expressed my preference for certain candidates in essays and on TV programs, some of my friends urged me not to make my support so obvious. When I asked why, they said that it would be awkward if the candidate I supported did not end up winning the nomination.
But that doesn't weigh on me in the least. It's liberating to transcend your individual interests and think about problems only in terms of ideals.
Whereas reporters must work hard to report objectively on each candidate, commentary is subjective, and a political commentator's only responsibility is to clearly state their position to the public.
Frankly, I feel that Taiwan's political scene has been overly influenced by the negative aspects of Chinese culture, in which interpersonal relations and concerns over maintaining one's interests are priorities. As a result, when decisions need to be made on major issues, few are willing to take a clear stand.
This is wrong because it is necessary to present all opinions on a subject -- or candidates, in this case -- so that people can make informed choices.
There's no need to fear that your position will be proven wrong, because reflecting on and learning from one's mistakes is part of self-improvement.
Of course, differences of opinion can lead to animosity. Some of my friends get quite emotional over politics, and these strong feelings prevent some of them from getting along with each other.
It's possible for people living next door to one another to have different political views without it affecting their ability to be good neighbors and friends. There is perhaps no better example than that of James Carville, a Democratic campaign adviser to former US president Bill Clinton, and Mary Matalin, a Republican campaign adviser to former US president George Bush and a current adviser to US Vice President Dick Cheney.
The two fell in love while campaigning for their candidates in the 1992 US presidential election and married after Clinton became president. Many people thought that their marriage wouldn't work out because of their political views.
More than 10 years later, their marriage is stable and they have two children. They can often be seen debating their seemingly irreconcilable views with each other on political talk shows.
But that doesn't stop them from praising each other as husband and wife when talking about their family life.
We can learn an important lesson from Matalin and Carville and think of politics is a "gentleman's competition" in which differences and disputes are not only a normal phenomenon, but also valued.
During a conflict of opinions, who is right and who is wrong is not the key issue. The most important thing is to put all the different ideas on the table and let people choose. This is one of democracy's most fundamental values.
In order to take the democratic path, whether in Taiwan or China, sooner or later one must learn to listen to different voices and respect the decisions of other people.
Some people worry that intra-party competition will create divisions. In fact, the after-effects of open competition are less severe than those that arise from the secret maneuvers of power politics. If the DPP wants to become a normal and healthy democratic party, it will have to adapt to open competition.
Cao Changqing is a political commentator based in the US.
Translated by Marc Langer
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