President Tsai's Goodwill Eight Years Late：Forgot Lai Again
The Storm Media Editorial, March 15, 2024
After nearly eight years in office, President Tsai Ing-wen finally met with Chairman Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) two months before stepping down and arranged to meet with Chairman Eric Chu of the Kuomintang (KMT), hoping for unity across party lines to advance the nation. This belated “summit dialogue” was filled with warmth, but unfortunately, Tsai forgot about her deputy, William Lai, who is set to take over in two months.
President Tsai should certainly engage in dialogue with opposition leaders, and opposition leaders should readily participate. However, at this crucial moment, President Tsai missed the mark. Eight years ago, when she was first elected president, she should have built consensus across the political spectrum as the president for all. However, she forgot her election pledge to “unite the country.” Instead, she focused on “uniting various factions within the DPP.” Even local elected officials from opposition parties were not in her sights. Despite the challenges of the past three years, her pandemic prevention high-level meetings never considered the participation of opposition-governed counties and cities. Four years ago, when she successfully campaigned for re-election, she not only failed to initiate dialogue across party lines as promised but also intensified putting pro-China red hats on opposition party leaders, including TPP Chairman Ko who had gifted her a pot of grass, which signifies the voice of his supporters.
To consolidate power, President Tsai has been in a state of perpetual combat every day of her tenure. The KMT was purged, the appointment of the National Taiwan University president was delayed, referendums and independent institutions were scrapped, and even the media were only favored if they aligned with the DPP. Her combative stance has become the daily norm for the DPP. DPP party whip Ker Chien-ming's criticism of opposition parties' unconstitutional and illegal actions still hangs in the air, while Tsai has expressed hopes for constructive communication across the political spectrum with a smiling face.
Despite recent gestures of goodwill from President Tsai, what she should do is not discuss substantive issues with opposition leaders—because regardless of what she discusses, it's no longer her concern whether her successor will follow through two months later. Let's not dwell on the past but focus on the four issues she discussed with Ko: "Labor Insurance Pension Reform," "Increasing National Defense Budget," "Strengthening Social Safety Nets," and "Political Party Communication Platform." Except for increasing the national defense budget, the other three are things she could have done in the past nearly eight years but didn't or didn't achieve. Can she promise that she has "already instructed Lai to continue handling" these three matters? More importantly, has Lai promised to continue handling them?
Labor insurance pension reform involves the fundamental interests of the ruling party. In the past, President Tsai dealt with military and civil servants' pensions just for political considerations, and so she chose to postpone or not discuss labor insurance reform at all. This hot potato is something Lai must continue to handle; no president can allow the labor insurance system to go bankrupt during their term. She promised to provide relevant financial information on labor insurance to the opposition parties for reference, but this information should have been provided to legislators by the Ministry of Labor long ago. Is it because the Ministry of Labor didn't provide the information, or does the president need to prompt them to do so? Instead of discussing giving out information that should have been provided, it's more important to focus on Lai's ideas about labor insurance reform.
How Can a "Cross-Partisan Communication Platform" Make Progress When It is Nowhere to Be Seen?
A "social safety net" was promised by President Tsai during her first term when she was in discussion with Wang Wan-yu, the chairperson of the New Power Party (NPP). Eight years have passed, and this so-called "safety net" has become a "safety breach." Ironically, her trusted Ministry of Health and Welfare, in response to recent child abuse cases, has shifted all blame to local governments. The entire DPP has unified its attack on Mayor Wayne Chiang of Taipei, completely ignoring the fact that the central government is responsible for child welfare organizations and adoption mechanisms. While President Tsai talks about "reviewing both central and local governments," she should remind her Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan not to shirk responsibilities—especially regarding the widespread distribution of Sudan Red dye in chili powder across Taiwan.
According to a press release from the TPP, President Tsai actively proposed "to make progress in establishing a political party communication platform." Isn't this absurd? The so-called "political party communication platform" is merely a castle in the air. Where is the project foundation to “make progress” from? Will Tsai and Ko be the first brick of this platform? Will Tsai and Chu be the second brick, leaving the rest to Lai "to make progress from"? Then, is her advice to Lai to start immediately upon taking office, or should he follow her example and finish up only before stepping down?
The "caretaker president" seeks to continue building a political party communication platform, while the "caretaker cabinet" engages in daily debates and disputes with legislators in the Legislative Yuan, withholding reports and truths. The concept of communication and unity doesn't entail silencing opposition parties and legislators in parliament or echoing praises of the president and premier among ruling party legislators. Even if we disregard the question of whether this so-called "communication platform" exists, President Tsai should at least involve Lai in the discussion. Yet, President Tsai has once again overlooked Lai, reminiscent of how the convenor of the Examination Yuan nomination review committee turned out to be Bi-khim Hsiao rather than Lai.
National unity through dialogue between the ruling and opposition parties is something President Tsai cannot initiate, but she must ensure a "good ending" to her eight-year presidency for the sake of national well-being. Regardless of whether it's perfect, this "period" can help her conclude her presidency. However, what President Tsai should do is put on a smile and apologize to opposition leaders and the entire nation—for her failure to unite the country over the past eight years, and for closing the doors between the government and the opposition, leading to uncontrollable political feuds. Rather than overstepping the boundaries of a caretaker, she should refrain from sketching out a "blueprint" for her successor in the final two months, as her blueprint could turn into her successor's nightmare or even a mess, such as the controversy surrounding the lifting and reinstatement of the "tour group ban" to China before and after the election, or the disputes left behind by the Coast Guard enforcing the law in waters near Kinmen and Xiamen.