The debate about conflicting and overlapping aspects of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) versions of a referendum for UN membership for Taiwan shows that this democracy has reached a turning point.
Taiwan is facing many old problems and new challenges: a chaotic constitutional system, a weak civic society, the frustrations of a difficult economic transition, a divided national identity and the threats of a strong external enemy. They pose a severe challenge to the survival of a new democracy.
It is particularly worrying that the presidential election campaign is throwing this democracy into turmoil and slowing momentum for development. At this time, Taiwan needs a new impetus for democratic reform and systemic innovation to break the political deadlock and resolve a crisis in governance. The situation is adding extra significance to the referendum debate.
The issue should be looked at in terms of deepening democracy, but this does not mean that it lacks the urgency of other practical issues. Practical implementation of referendums is based in urgent political, economic and social issues.
One example is how the debate on UN membership has become an important catalyst for making the public actively look at the issue from a democratic perspective.
In regard to creating a breakthrough over Taiwan's international isolation, there is different logic in the DPP's referendum -- suggesting that Taiwan join the UN -- and the KMT's referendum, which suggests that it return to the organization as "Republic of China" or something similar.
But there is strategic convergence between the two camps caused by electoral pressures: Taiwan's international space is now the main issue in the presidential election. This convergence of strategies is also resulting in a public consensus that transcends party lines on the issue of UN membership. Taiwan is no longer an international "troublemaker," but a victim of discrimination and unreasonable treatment.
In using a bottom-up process like the public signature drives, the referendum initiatives have served to strengthen civic society. This kind of practical process should also be used to push for an amendment to the Referendum Act (公投法).
In addition to electoral considerations, the initiation of referendums should be seen as civic society's mechanism to organize itself and build a systemic link between it and the political sector. As long as enough signatures can be collected, any citizen can initiate public debate and a determination on issues he or she considers important.
Such referendums provide a new force in mobilizing support for interests ranging from breaking out of international isolation and forging a new constitution to community awareness and cultural movements. This would create public debate and improve democratic understanding in the general public, thus arriving at a deliberative democracy that would foster civic awareness and proactive participation.
In strengthening the boundaries of democracy, the use of the referendum would, in the long term, also strengthen public sovereignty and protect national security. Faced with the Chinese threat, the institution of the referendum would guarantee that Taiwanese had the right to say "no" to China, and would highlight the illegitimacy of Chinese Communist Party rule.
With either referendum -- to "join" the UN or "return" to it -- Taiwan will further define itself as a democratic community and declare to the international community that it is an independent and sovereign state.
Hsu Yung-ming is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Soochow University.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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