By Hsieh Chun-ling and Jason Pan / Staff reporters
The three major political parties should work together to enhance Taiwan’s indigenous weapons programs and implement an all-civilian defense system to deter China, civic organizations and academics said at a news conference at the legislature in Taipei on Thursday.
The outcome of the presidential election on Saturday last week showed that Taiwanese want to remain on the path that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) treaded for the past eight years of a robust national defense and firmness in dealings with China, while making sure that checks and balances deny pro-China policies, said Chen Fang-yu (陳方隅), an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Soochow University.
By giving the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) the presidency for a third consecutive term, but denying it a majority in the legislature, “it is clear that people want checks and balances on the government’s executive power,” said Chen, a board member of the Economic Democracy Union.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who finished third in the presidential race, “did not provide solutions to important issues and government policies, despite his criticism and complaining,” Chen said.
However, “the TPP received higher-than-expected support, possibly because voters wanted an outlet for societal grievances, so the DPP government should strive to deal with those issues, which include low wages, high housing prices, insufficent social welfare support and the difficulties small businesses face in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era,” he said.
Taiwan Citizen Front member Chen Chun-hung (陳俊宏) said that just because the electorate reined in the DPP in the legislature, it did not seek a return of the “black gold” politics of local factions linked to gangster elements that gain wealth from unscrupulous business dealings.
“Nor do people want a return to authoritarianism,” Chen Chun-hung said.
However, a significant number of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidates who won are from local factions, so there is concern about their influence on local politics,” he said.
“There is a lot of concern that these legislators would leverage a blue-white legislative alliance to siphon off more government funds for their own use as they scrutinize budgets and consider bills,” he said. “We urge legislators from the three major parties to safeguard Taiwan’s democracy and not return to the old ways.”
“President-elect William Lai (賴清德) must remember that there is an urgent need to enhance indigenous defense weapons production and implement an all-civilian defense system,” Chen Chun-hung said.
Proposed legislation should not be delayed because there is no agreement between the parties, he said, adding that lawmakers should be clear and rational in their legislative discussions and with the public to foster consensus on important bills.
Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said that the DPP must learn to deal with its lack of a legislative majority, and improve its engagement and dialogue with society.
William Lai must take the lead in these efforts, Lai Chung-chiang said.
“William Lai should convene townhalls and take suggestions from civil groups,” he said, adding that Taiwan Citizen Front and the Economic Democracy Union have tendered a “2024 Citizens’ Political Platform,” providing recommendations to deal with four major societal grievances.
“The KMT still does not identify with Taiwan as a political entity founded on the will of its 23 million people,” he said, adding that the consensus was for democracy, freedom and national sovereignty.
“Deficienicies in the KMT’s charter open the door for China, with Beijing’s influence a factor in Taiwan’s elections,” Lai Chung-chiang said. “This means cross-strait issues dominate, taking precedence over social and economic issues.”
“Taiwan cannot move forward on its democratic path under such conditions,” he said.
“Taiwan must establish a healthy political system with unity among the parties when facing threats from outside or within,” he added.
To reach this goal, we must push reform of local governance, which should have proportional representation, he said.
“That would grant smaller parties a fairer environment to air their policy ideas,” he added.
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