If Taiwan wants to become a normal country, it has to establish a normal legislature, political parties and media that do not bow their heads to the dark remainders of the past authoritarian regime. The old-fashioned legislature, political parties and media that remain controlled by old and young followers of the past regime must be encouraged to embrace freedom, democracy and independence.
January's legislative elections will offer a historical opportunity for the nation to reform the old-fashioned legislature. Some argue that Taiwan has become a two-party system, with the two parties suppressing political forces external to themselves. If these two parties really were working to protect the welfare of the public and guarantee sovereignty, there would be nothing wrong.
Alas, they are not. One of the parties ought to go back to China to run for election for a spot at the National People's Congress. It will stay in Taiwan, of course, but it's in the wrong place.
Although the other party is Taiwanese and has made considerable contributions to democracy and other forms of progress, it has not shown that same spirit of democracy in the past few years.
In the past, it took great risks and worked with the public to put an end to martial law, the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion (
That same party has regressed to the point where it has denied our nation's freedom -- which it fought for with the public -- by suddenly saying that it is "moving toward Taiwanese independence."
Although these two parties will continue their incessant bickering, they share the same mind-set: One is a fossil of a party living in the past; the other is a new party that has turned its back on progress and is headed in the wrong direction.
There are two ways for Taiwan to establish a normal legislature. One is to reform the political parties, the other is to create new parties.
When I suggested earlier in the Chinese-language New Taiwan weekly that former Presidential Office secretary-general Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟) take over as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman, it was in the hope that the DPP would be able to win next year's legislative and presidential elections and move toward a normal legislature and a normal country.
Chen has long promoted reforming the DPP. He has academic training, a sense of mission and a strong willpower on politics.
When Su Tseng-chang (
If the nation had a left-leaning social democratic party working for fair and just representation of the middle and lower middle classes, it would help establish modern parties.
The public regard the bickering legislature as a major problem. The new electoral system, which has small districts and a dual ballot system, requires that a candidate obtain the support of half of all voters to get elected. If new candidates were to step forward to confront those representing the old mind-set, they would be certain to win.
The next legislative elections will be a battle between the new nation and an old-fashioned legislature. Now is the time for all of us to take a stand.
Ruan Ming is a consultant at the Taiwan Research Institute.
Translated by Ted Yang
Why is Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) not a “happy camper” these days regarding Taiwan? Taiwanese have not become more “CCP friendly” in response to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) use of spies and graft by the United Front Work Department, intimidation conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Armed Police/Coast Guard, and endless subversive political warfare measures, including cyber-attacks, economic coercion, and diplomatic isolation. The percentage of Taiwanese that prefer the status quo or prefer moving towards independence continues to rise — 76 percent as of December last year. According to National Chengchi University (NCCU) polling, the Taiwanese
It would be absurd to claim to see a silver lining behind every US President Donald Trump cloud. Those clouds are too many, too dark and too dangerous. All the same, viewed from a domestic political perspective, there is a clear emerging UK upside to Trump’s efforts at crashing the post-Cold War order. It might even get a boost from Thursday’s Washington visit by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In July last year, when Starmer became prime minister, the Labour Party was rigidly on the defensive about Europe. Brexit was seen as an electorally unstable issue for a party whose priority
US President Donald Trump is systematically dismantling the network of multilateral institutions, organizations and agreements that have helped prevent a third world war for more than 70 years. Yet many governments are twisting themselves into knots trying to downplay his actions, insisting that things are not as they seem and that even if they are, confronting the menace in the White House simply is not an option. Disagreement must be carefully disguised to avoid provoking his wrath. For the British political establishment, the convenient excuse is the need to preserve the UK’s “special relationship” with the US. Following their White House
US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House has brought renewed scrutiny to the Taiwan-US semiconductor relationship with his claim that Taiwan “stole” the US chip business and threats of 100 percent tariffs on foreign-made processors. For Taiwanese and industry leaders, understanding those developments in their full context is crucial while maintaining a clear vision of Taiwan’s role in the global technology ecosystem. The assertion that Taiwan “stole” the US’ semiconductor industry fundamentally misunderstands the evolution of global technology manufacturing. Over the past four decades, Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), has grown through legitimate means
RSS