Name changes a huge step
According to a Central News Agency report, several of the nation’s embassies and representative offices are undertaking a “name rectification” campaign on their Facebook pages by replacing the name “Taipei” with “Taiwan” (“Embassies use ‘Taiwan’ on their Facebook pages,” Dec. 6, page 1).
Some of the offices have even removed the earlier, long-winded and rather perplexing title “Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in...” and replaced it with “Taiwan in...” Moreover, they have updated the profile pictures with an illustration of Taiwan proper, outlined in a lake-green watercolor brushstroke, with the word “Taiwan” spelled using different colors.
At first glance, this might seem a small change, but it is a huge step forward. President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration is finally stepping out of the self-restrictive framework of “maintaining the ‘status quo.’”
Two-and-a-half years ago, Tsai set the tone for her administration by saying that it was to “maintain the ‘status quo,’” presumably after receiving sufficient support from the US, and she has unswervingly stuck to this ever since.
However, the outdated approach has brought great harm to her. Opposition from the pan-blue and red camps, which hoped that Tsai would move closer to the “1992 consensus,” of course do not like maintaining the “status quo.”
In the eyes of the pan-green, Taiwan-centered faction, which has given her such vigorous support, she has made no progress, despite the party’s hard-earned control of both the legislature and the presidency, and Taiwan gaining the support of US President Donald Trump and the US for the first time in decades.
They feel that she has been wasting the nation’s energy on internal friction.
The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) utter defeat in the Nov. 24 local elections has finally triggered calls for a leadership change among more than a few. After the DPP’s defeat, Tsai said that she should be the first one to reflect on the results before stepping down as party chairperson.
A few days ago, there were reports that Tsai attempted to negotiate in person with Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corp about launching cheaper cigarettes branded “New Long Life” (新長壽). This is comparable to former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) only remarkable political achievement during his first presidential term, when he “deliberately” reduced the price of Red Label rice wine from NT$150 to NT$25 per bottle. They both intended to appear more “down-to-earth,” as if they had their ear to the ground.
Changing the name of embassies and representative offices to Taiwan on Facebook and uploading new profile pictures of Taiwan proper strikes a similar note. Yet, there is a long way to go to fundamentally change this mindset, and we will all just have to wait and see what happens.
Wang Po-jen
Taichung
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