The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) celebrated its 17th anniversary yesterday. Many public opinion polls show that many people do not feel safe under the party's rule even though they are also unwilling to see a return of the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) rule. As a result, the blue camp's lead over the green camp has remained unchanged. How to break this deadlock and win back the public's trust is the DPP's main task for the next 12 months.
The DPP won political power on an anti-corruption and "love Taiwan" platform and a "new middle road" political discourse. But the party lacked the breadth of talent necessary to form a truly competent government. Taking up the reins of government before it was really ready for the job caused the DPP to stumble time and again. Its government has faced obstructionism by the opposition at every turn. External factors such as the global economic slowdown also made it difficult for the party to realize its policies and ideals.
Since its promises of "happiness and hope" fizzled, the DPP seems to have lost the ability to create a new discourse. President Chen Shui-bian (
For example, one long-term DPP policy is to revoke the tax exemptions and 18-percent preferential deposit interest rate given to servicemen, civil servants and teachers. The Executive Yuan has drafted amendments to the tax laws and sent them for legislative review. But Chen recently surprised the Executive Yuan and the DPP by announcing that these perks will not be revoked during his term. His announcement was apparently aimed at easing the pressure of protest by teachers scheduled for yesterday, as well as trying to woo votes from teachers and civil servants.
His announcement set a bad precedent. We have seen similar policy U-turns regarding reforms of the farmers' and fishermen's credit cooperatives and educational reforms. These have created doubts among the public about the DPP's reforms.
The DPP has always had a democratic tradition. However, to resolve conflicts between government and party policies, Chen broke with the party's tradition of separating government and party powers, and took over as party chairman. This has resolved intra-party conflicts, but it has also caused intra-party pluralism to wither. Even after the party's defeat in the Hualien County commissioner by-election, little dissent was heard inside the party.
The DPP is suffering from a policy-making crisis. It appears to be following in the footsteps of the KMT. In an attempt to defend its political power, the DPP has begun to show a conservative, even regressive attitude, only comparing mistakes and not comparing progressiveness. Bravely challenging authority and constantly seeking reform and progress used to be the hallmarks of the DPP.
Getting re-elected is the party's main focus because only with another four-year term will it be able to carry out its planned reforms. For many voters, however, the re-election of a DPP without the determination to reform will be futile. The DPP is now facing suspicion and mistrust from middle-of-the-ground voters about its performance. To win them back, the DPP will have to restore its democratic spirit and insist on reforms. Only then can it meet the public's expectations.
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
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
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
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS