Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) threw all of its weight behind last month’s four referendums — all of which it initiated — as well as a by-election in Taichung’s second electoral district and a recall vote for independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) in Taipei’s fifth electoral district, both on Jan. 9.

In a key test of public opinion, the KMT lost everything: each referendum, the recall vote and the by-election.

However, despite the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) being victorious in all instances — having opposed all four referendums and the recall vote, and successfully installing its candidate, Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀), in Taichung’s second electoral district — the party should take care not to get ahead of itself.

This year will be a critical one for President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who will need to accelerate the realization of her policy agenda.

In the past few weeks, Tsai has overcome the political tests of the four referendums, a recall and a by-election. She should now put these behind her and use the momentum they provided to move forward. Also, next year, Taiwan will need to brace for a bitterly fought campaign for the 2024 presidential election, when rational discussion on national policy will be put on hold, as politicians prioritize attracting voters. There is, therefore, no better time than now for the president to go full steam ahead in implementing her policies.