In Taiwan recently, much has been written on the second anniversary of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) inauguration as President, about the criticism of her policies and her apparently “low” ratings.
I wrote often of these things. President Tsai has to contend with undoing all the damage done to Taiwan by her predecessor, Ma Ing-jieou for 8 years, and by all those Chinese Nationalist Party’s (Guomindang or KMT) leaders before him, and doing so in 2 years has been impossible. She has been facing issues in Taiwan which are generational or historic in nature, and she is faced with criticism both for being too quick and too slow at the same time. I agree that there seems to be excessive dithering by her administration, but it is like choosing the frying pan or the fire, and there is danger in either direction.
Reform is change, and change is often unpopular, particularly in Taiwan. This explains why “maintaining the status quo” is often the most popular choice of the majority of the people, a matter of accepting the way things are, the way people can bear, the way to survive (even thrive, if possible). Most people are unwilling to accept risk, and there is risk on every possible side of every possible choice. Most critics though, on both sides, do not really offer much help (for instance, having yet another government body make some decisions on transitional justice, while the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee makes other decisions is definitely not a way to expedite justice – the results will never be popular for any KMT member, and there are enough KMT members in Taiwan to make a loud noise – many of us feel the Committee has been too ponderous, taking too long to effect transitional justice without the government prosecuting the people responsible for money laundering and fraud and other defalcations related to the KMT’s generations of theft from Taiwan), and simply do what is most common these days, which is just criticize.
President Tsai’s tasks are difficult. At some point she needs to be decisive, pursue the policies she believes in, be resolute and strong. Her tendency to be less emotional than some regarding her beliefs leaves many underwhelmed with her leadership. However, her stability can be reassuring if she can find a way to better communicate her passion to improve Taiwan’s and its people’s stature and health, and inspire Taiwanese to embrace a new path, finally resolve and throw off its 60 years of Party-state handcuffs, and step out into the world away from China and its persistent insult and injury, and get on with improving Taiwan’s already impressive accomplishments and stature, move out from under the shadow of Communist China, and establish new and enduring relations with the rest of the world.
But Taiwanese must realize this, and realize it well – electing KMT members will only result in reversing the great steps taken forward, bring Taiwan back into the death-embrace of Communist China, and kill Taiwan’s democratic freedoms and justice. The KMT will do this for a seat at the Communist Party table, having essentially mouthed the words of its dead leader Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) for decades while betraying every fiber of his hatred for communism by kneeling before the Emperor Xi as Taiwan previous President Ma Ing-jieou did before he left office, and sucking up to every single aspect of China’s evil plans for the world – all for $$ and KMT pride. Taiwanese must beware. There is a Lien Chan lurking in every corner of the KMT’s apparatus cackling and salivating at the chance to shake the hand of a Communist leader and get a pat on the head. “Good boy! Sit!”
Strait Talk by Lee Longhwa 