Regarding President Tsai
As one of thousands of attendees at the May 20 inauguration ceremony for President Tsai Ing-Wen (蔡英文), I must admit that I was extremely moved by the event, not only by the excellent performances and the palpable optimism of the crowd, but also by the content of Tsai’s inaugural address.
Although many waited with bated breath to hear her stance on cross-strait relations, and many were satisfied with her deft handling of such a sensitive and possibly explosive subject, what struck me as most poignant was how her speech touched on pressing domestic issues: mending holes in the pension system, strengthening Taiwan’s economy and diversifying its trade partners, pursuing a conciliatory approach to long-deserved transitional justice and working to ensure a better quality of life for young and old.
How she spoke of these issues represented progressive values, notably in the role she intends the new government to take in “fixing problems,” but more importantly it highlighted the need for unity. Although the road forward is unlikely to be easy, the president stressed that the challenges that lay ahead “require that we face them honestly and shoulder the responsibilities together.”
It is with these words in mind that I and many of my fellow Americans who were witness to Tsai’s address face our own tumultuous political climate and imminent leadership change with great trepidation. Our decision seems more and more likely a choice between two US presidential candidates with many negatives.
Whereas Tsai’s speech elucidated an inward-looking approach, showing a deep regard for the state of Taiwan’s domestic politics, US presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s attitude about similar issues in the US represent some of the blackest marks in US history, signaling a return to xenophobic populism, total disregard for liberal democratic values, and his own “America First” brand of neo-isolationism, essentially an aversion to foreign entanglements.
The last one leaves me quite worried about how the US would proceed with its special relationship with Taiwan were Trump elected.
Perhaps this is premature; the future is uncertain. Whatever the outcome, it gives me hope that 56 percent of Taiwan’s electorate chose a candidate whose central aims are pragmatic, geared toward societal well-being and focused on long-term gains, rather than bandaid solutions.
Jeremy Olivier
Taipei
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