All of the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) worrying about the popularity of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
Whatever else one wants to say about Ma, one cannot deny his skill in avoiding confrontations and ability to sell himself as a pragmatist. Whenever Ma is confronted with an issue, be it cross-strait policy or economic affairs, he backs away from ideological rhetoric and frames himself as a problem-solver.
In short, Ma is a consummate politician: He anticipates what people want to hear, and tells the public whatever keeps them satisfied.
The DPP has not shown itself to be particularly skilled in this regard, because whenever President Chen Shui-bian (
This would all be fine if most Taiwanese were die-hard independence supporters. But they are not. Despite the electoral gains that Chen made in the 2004 presidential election, there has not been a major shift in the ideological views of most Taiwanese.
Poll after poll has demonstrated that Taiwanese ultimately have a very realistic and pragmatic view about their country's relationship with China.
Taiwanese want to reap the benefits of China's growing economic clout. They want to enrich their own lives by using their industries not to make a political statement about the nation's status, but by making smart investments that will pay off in the future. For this reason, many businesspeople and investors see nothing inherently wrong with investing in China's booming economy.
This, in the end, is why the DPP need not worry about these businesspeople's fixation with China. The booming economy there will not last forever. Eventually, the rollercoaster ride will come to an end, and people will have to seek another form of amusement -- India and Southeast Asia, which the government has rightly identified as possible destinations for investors looking for the next best thing.
No matter where investors turn to once the aphrodisiac of China's economic growth starts to wear off, the point is that politicians here should take the longer view. Taiwan is not in the middle of an economic crisis, but in the throes of a political stalemate. The instability caused by these political troubles has -- and continues -- to cause problems for the nation's long-term economic outlook.
This country has inherited a deeply flawed political system rife with the vestiges of an authoritarian, one-party state. To move beyond the acrimonious impasse that now beleaguers it, Taiwan must depend on women and men of vision and leadership.
It does not need politicians who mouth platitudes and look good on television, such as Ma. He may be skilled at telling people what they want to hear, but can he deliver the ideas and difficult solutions that Taiwan needs to ensure that its democracy succeeds?
The DPP has recently gone on the offensive against Ma, saying he is all show and no substance.
This argument would carry more weight if the DPP showed itself to be a party of substantive ideas. Where are the pan-green leaders? Who in the DPP is ready to stand up and say something worth hearing, rather than just criticize their pan-blue counterparts?
There is still almost two years before the next presidential election. The time to take a stand is now.
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