When Westerners see someone taking on a position of responsibility which results in themselves being left to deal with a pile of insoluble problems, they often say: “I do not envy him/her.”
When Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) first contested a presidential election in 2012, a senior economist issued a warning, saying that if Taiwan really wanted reform, it must be prepared to sacrifice itself. Tsai responded by saying that Taiwan’s democracy was mature, and that there was no need to exaggerate. The economist said she was too naive and did not have a sufficient understanding of Chinese. I agree completely.
Tsai should be congratulated on winning this year’s presidential election, but she does not find herself in an envious position. The nation’s status is not determined and Taiwan’s national identity is in turmoil. Tsai is surrounded by enemies: in front of her, she faces the Chinese tiger and behind her lies the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) snake.
She is faced with unprecedented debt — every newborn Taiwanese child is NT$1 million in debt — and military personnel, civil servants and public school teachers continue to enjoy their exorbitant pensions. The economy is in a slump, exports and tax revenues have dropped sharply, unemployment is high and salaries are low, education institutions are struggling and the economy is dependent on China to the point that Taiwan’s survival is at risk.
Military preparedness is in decline, arms are out of date, high-ranking military leaders are friendly with China, the mid-level leadership is full of communist spies and the lower levels are encumbered by frequent failures, while the whole nation has been infiltrated by the Chinese Communist Party.
Then there are the issues of deteriorating food safety and a dispute over power generation, among others.
During World War II, Winston Churchill was appointed British prime minister as the nation’s existence was in peril.
He told parliament that he had “nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” and that it would be necessary “to wage war, by sea, land and air” and that the goal was “victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror ... for without victory, there is no survival.”
It was a speech that aroused British morale. France lost World War I, but then Germany was defeated in World War II.
When Iceland was on the brink of a national default, Icelandic people worked hard and before long the nation was back on its feet. Taiwan has suffered under long-standing misrule, which is unlikely to change overnight; before things begin to improve, they are likely to worsen for quite some time.
No one knows if Taiwanese possess the same strength as other nation’s mentioned above, but they are honest and hardworking, and if the government tells it as it is, perhaps the public would unite to get through a difficult transition period.
The government should not try to hide major ills and possible obstacles, but announce them and offer regular reports on reform progress — or the reasons for lack of progress — so that the public can appreciate the government’s determination to move forward and better the nation.
Someone recently demanded that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) take the KMT back to China. I have also heard that someone offered to provide big passenger ships to send the party and its members back to China. We can only hope that the new president would make Taiwanese happy by taking up this offer.
Peng Ming-min is a former presidential adviser.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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
Taiwan is a small, humble place. There is no Eiffel Tower, no pyramids — no singular attraction that draws the world’s attention. If it makes headlines, it is because China wants to invade. Yet, those who find their way here by some twist of fate often fall in love. If you ask them why, some cite numbers showing it is one of the freest and safest countries in the world. Others talk about something harder to name: The quiet order of queues, the shared umbrellas for anyone caught in the rain, the way people stand so elderly riders can sit, the
After the coup in Burma in 2021, the country’s decades-long armed conflict escalated into a full-scale war. On one side was the Burmese army; large, well-equipped, and funded by China, supported with weapons, including airplanes and helicopters from China and Russia. On the other side were the pro-democracy forces, composed of countless small ethnic resistance armies. The military junta cut off electricity, phone and cell service, and the Internet in most of the country, leaving resistance forces isolated from the outside world and making it difficult for the various armies to coordinate with one another. Despite being severely outnumbered and
After the confrontation between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday last week, John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, discussed this shocking event in an interview. Describing it as a disaster “not only for Ukraine, but also for the US,” Bolton added: “If I were in Taiwan, I would be very worried right now.” Indeed, Taiwanese have been observing — and discussing — this jarring clash as a foreboding signal. Pro-China commentators largely view it as further evidence that the US is an unreliable ally and that Taiwan would be better off integrating more deeply into
RSS