The results of the mayoral elections in Taipei and Kaohsiung last weekend have great implications for the future development of Taiwanese politics, the dynamics of party competition and the presidential election in 2008.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) dodged the political bullets of a series of alleged scandals surrounding President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the first family as well as some party members in the run-up to the mayoral elections.
The fact is that the DPP consolidated its hold on the mayoral seat in Kaohsiung, sustained its voter base in Taipei and suppressed an emerging split and power struggle within the party.
The so-called "four big shots" -- potential competitors for the next presidential nomination -- are now on equal footing with Frank Hsieh (
DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun is expected to stay in power and lead the party out of its recent political whirlpool. The need for the party to engage in introspection also constitutes Yu's greatest challenge.
Premier Su Tseng-chang's (
It is imperative for the DPP leadership to utilize the national yearning for reconciliation, rational political competition, rejuvenation of the economy and improvement in government efficiency in the remainder of Chen's term to convince voters that it can reinforce institutional reforms and forge clean politics.
In this regard, the bid for presidential nomination -- which is expected to start next spring -- should be driven by internal unity and national development, not by individual or factional interests.
While the public has placed greater emphasis on politicians' ethics more than their performance, the DPP still has the chance to reinvent its image and regain the public's confidence.
The opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), under Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
But instead, the polls cast a political shadow on Ma's overrated popularity and fragile leadership.
The so-called "Ma phenomenon" or "Ma miracle" was sidelined by his failure to forge internal reforms in the KMT and to push forward a healthy competitive relationship with the DPP government.
The KMT's failure to win back the Kaohsiung mayorship was a timely reminder to supporters of how looking to Ma to win back power in 2008 was in large measure wishful thinking. It also exposed its Achilles' heel -- a lack of leadership and agenda distinguishing itself from the DPP.
Given the Taiwan Solidarity Union and the People First Party are all facing possible implosion after the mayoral elections -- as witnessed by the latter's Chairman James Soong's (宋楚瑜) announcement that he would retire from politics, and the decreasing influence of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) -- and that a new electoral system will be introduced in the next legislative election, a two-party dynamic will further consolidate. The room for an independent "third alliance" is small.
Therefore, the DPP and KMT are now free from the limits of their alliances and can engage in more rational and institutionally supportive competition. Both parties should recognize the fact that voters are tired of political gridlock and finger-pointing.
Whoever can react positively to this will win in 2008.
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
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