In the wake of the sweep of three legislative by-elections by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, President Ma Ying-jeou and his right-wing Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) administration should cease their habitual "black box" decision making style in favor of a more open and consultative method that can build consensus on the critical challenges facing Taiwan.
Saturday's sweep by the DPP of formerly KMT held seats in Taoyuan, Taichung and Taitung Counties displayed the gap between the Ma government's policies and the public will and demonstrated the vulnerability of both the KMT's current huge legislative majority and even Ma's own chances of re-election in early 2012 if his government does not change its ways.
Indeed, the Center for Prediction Markets of National Chengchi University announced Sunday that its virtual political futures market rated Ma's chances of winning another four - year term at only 36.8 percent, a dramatic erosion from 63.2 percent in early September.
These possibilities are also being viewed with concern by the PRC`s ruling Chinese Communist Party leadership in Zhongnanhai and the pro-China "Want Daily" speculated Sunday that the lack of public support for Ma's administrative policies "will make Beijing anxious and may trigger Beijing to accelerate the pace of Taiwan policy."
Besides pushing for rapid signing of the ECFA, the CCP authorities may well press ahead with pushing the KMT to engage in talks for a "peace agreement" and other measures for "cross-strait political and economic normalization" to ensure that "even if the DPP returns to power, it will not be able to reverse the situation" of Taiwan being tied firmly in the PRC's sphere.
However, any signs that the Ma government is complying with such pressure could drive the current wedge between the Ma government and Taiwan's electorate even deeper and trigger an even stronger public backlash in the upcoming five special municipal mayoral polls and the run-up to the 2012 presidential and legislative polls that will rebound to the benefit of the DPP.
In televised advertisements in the run-up to Saturday's legislative by-elections, DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen struck a chord with the electorate by saying that political parties must give citizens a "sense of security" in the light of concerns for worsening inequality of wealth distribution and economic change and a "sense of belonging" and involvement in a stable Taiwan political community.
Tsai's statements reflect a potential intent to highlight a redefined DPP image as a party of stability and progress with the electorate's disappointment with the incompetence of the Ma government, concern over its evident pro-business and China-centric tilt and anxiety over the uncertainty of where the secretive KMT leadership is taking Taiwan.
Ma himself showed that he is not entirely unaware of these pressures Sunday when he told reporters that "the KMT had not made enough effort" and promised that "the KMT will learn from the lesson" taught by voters and become "closer to the public will."
Ma's dilemma of whether to comply with Beijing's agenda or become "closer to the public will" will be crystalized in the upcoming struggle over the proposed "economic cooperation framework agreement" (ECFA) with the PRC.
In the wake of DPP demands for a ratifying referendum and the flap over the U.S. beef import protocol, Ma has already had to upset Beijing by vowing that the ECFA will be reviewed and approved by the Legislative Yuan and, in a news conference last week, promised to improve "dialogue" between the Executive and Legislative branches and to do a better job of "guidance" with Taiwan's citizenry.
Such tinkering with the KMT's traditionally paternalistic decision-making style will not be enough in the wake of what one KMT lawmaker called "Black Saturday."
The only way for Ma and the KMT administration can really adjust policy closer to the will of the people would be to open the "black box" within which the Ma government has made its policy decision making and return to a consultative public policy consensus formulation process.
In this respect, Ma can consider a goodwill response to the timely proposal by former DPP chairman Hsu Hsin-liang that the KMT government should convene a "national affairs council" to meld a social consensus on the controversial ECFA before negotiations with Beijing are fully launched.
There are ample precedents for the convention of consensus building councils, such as the landmark May 1990 "National Affairs Council" called by former president Lee Teng-hui which paved the way for democratic reforms, and the August 2001 "Economic Development Advisory Conference" convened by former DPP president Chen Shui-bian to formulate consensus economic and social policies with the KMT-controlled Legislature and divergent business and civic society interests.
The question is whether Ma dares to invite the widest possible representation of political, economic, social and business interests for open discussion, debate and dialogue and agree to adjust his policies in order to abide by the consensuses reached by the delegates of such a council.
Source: Taiwan News Online - Editorial 2010/01/12
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