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
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS