Ending days of speculation, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) finally announced yesterday his decision to appoint former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) as the new premier.
The resignation of Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) also suggests an end to the "reconciliation and co-existence" approach by which Hsieh hoped to peacefully "co-exist" with the pan-blues, but in the end turned out to be little more than wishful thinking on his part.
Perfecting the "reconciliation and co-existence" approach was Hsieh's biggest political task when he assumed the premiership in February. However, after an 11-month "trial period," the continued rejection of the arms procurement plan by the legislature, former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) strategy of uniting with the Chinese Communist Party and the legislature's boycott of most Cabinet initiatives exacted a desperate toll on Hsieh's political career. The atmosphere of reconciliation that he hoped for is still sadly lacking.
Given the pan-blue camp's difficulty in ridding itself of the "party-state" mindset, the failure of Hsieh's attempts at reconciliation and co-existence with the residue of an autocratic era came as no surprise.
The DPP administration must take this lesson to heart and not veer from its localization path. After all, that is the main reason why voters gathered behind the party and voted Chen into the Presidential Office in 2000 and 2004.
A new Cabinet resolved to reinvigorating Taiwan's economy and putting the president's "active management, effective opening" approach to cross-strait economic exchanges into effect must not waver from leading Taiwan in this direction.
Apart from making an effort to understand the public's needs, the new Cabinet also needs to improve communication with party members.
With that said, the new Cabinet also needs to keep in mind that an attempt to build a harmonious political climate with the opposition parties does not mean pandering to all of their demands, nor does it require ingratiation with the pan-blues and their slight legislative majority.
The new Cabinet must remain cool-headed, try to hold the political highground and ditch the mindset of fawning to the pan-blue camp, because as Hsieh and his Cabinet found out, the very idea that in return for the government's goodwill the pan-blues will be more cooperative is pie in the sky.
It is to be expected that the pan-blues, knowing full well that Su is likely to be one of the main contenders for his party's presidential ticket in the 2008 presidential race, will not give him an easy ride, and will probably work to undermine his standing during the tenure of his premiership.
Therefore, the road ahead will no doubt be an arduous one for Su and the members of his new Cabinet when they begin dealing with the legislature next month.
The new Cabinet, under Su's leadership, must be determined, take firm action, improve the government's overall performance and revive public confidence in the present government if it wishes to have any impact on the country.
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
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
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
RSS