New Predicaments for the Tsai Administration: U.S.-Taiwan Trade and Power Shortage Crisis
United Daily News Editorial, December 19, 2021
The four national referendum questions failed to pass, and the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen is temporarily relieved. The thwart of these national referendums was mainly because the decoupling of referendum with general election which leads to low voting turnout; and the government mobilized administrative resource to instigate more votes from its strongholds. Now as the die is cast, all walks of life are watching if the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration can achieve critically in U.S.-Taiwan trade and economic relations and its solemn guarantee of no more electric power shortage.
In the 2018 general election, seven national referendums were passed in a row. Ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) thus decided to amend the law, regulating referendum be held separately to decrease the overall voting willingness while raising the passing threshold of referendum. At this time, the presidential office and the executive yuan fully exerted themselves in propaganda and held over 2,000 campaign gatherings for referendum, even mobilized government resources launching overwhelming propaganda to engage in an asymmetrical war against the referendum proposers, eventually successful in blocking the four referendums.
In a last resort to win in the referendum, the ruling party applied a potent antidote by directly claiming “opposition to the import of ractopamine pork will impair U.S.-Taiwan relations”, and “if two referendums on energy issues were passed, not only the air pollution problem in the southern Taiwan hard to solve, but the country would also face electric power shortage.” Now with the perfect victory in the outcome of the referendums seems glowing and shining, and with all the hypes in propaganda, whether the Tsai administration can deliver in the future as they promised in their propaganda is the toughest challenge.
The ordinary people concern about if there is a reshuffle in the cabinet, but they are even more care about livelihood policy. Opposition to pork imports containing the additive ractopamine was the issue the ruling party most worried about and considered as the toughest one, so their main statement was “if the referendum on anti-ractopamine pork were passed, it would seriously influence U.S.-Taiwan relations”. Premier Su Tseng-chang even cried out on the eve of the referendum voting: “The United States or China, which side do you choose? Now, with the outcome of the referendum, the United States undoubtedly was the winner, but the U.S. abides strictly by its one China policy as bottom line, based on this can Taiwan strive to achieve more substantive progress in Compressive Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) free trade agreement and Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA)? People all over the country are waiting to see.
To the algae reef referendum where the energy issue was at stake and the reopening of the fourth nuclear power plant referendum, the DPP in its campaign for referendum propaganda shouted out “if they were passed, we would have electric power shortage in the future.” “The pollution problem in southern Taiwan would be hard to solve.” This simple inflammatory statement was very effective in instigating votes from its strongholds. Now with the third gas-receiving site almost affirmed, the fourth nuclear power plant would become a historical term. Whether the DPP administration can assure Taiwan will not be mired in the shadow of power shortage any longer? Otherwise, the backfire and rebound of public opinion will only be much louder and violent.
Intimidation and blackmail before the referendum voting had successively instigated the pan-green supporters, now the duel between ruling and opposition parties manipulated by the DPP was over, obstruction was thus removed. The post referendum is the beginning of commitment deliverance, if U.S.-Taiwan relations come to a halt or electric power shortage is to occur, do not blame for others.