An Election without Issues

An Election without Issues
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
January 3, 2008

Are the legislative elections important? Of course they are! Because the legislature formed as a result of this election will be making major policy and budget decisions for the next four years. Due to changes in the election system, this year's legislative elections are particularly important. The number of legislators has been halved. Overnight, the influence each legislator has over policy will be doubled. Whether the deadlock that has prevailed in the legislature over the past eight years can be broken will be determined by this election.

Such an important election. Yet when most people are asked how they will vote, say: "I don't know." Either that, or they answer: "I know but I don't care." Why don't they know? Why don't they care? Because they can't be bothered to know. Because they can't be bothered to care. According to most polls, the Legislative Yuan has become synonymous with political evil. Unfortunately, the majority of voters don't care. Their indifference means the quality of the legislature will never improve. It may even go from bad to worse. Unfortunately, legislators themselves do not understand their own power and responsibilities. This means the voters' expectation that the legislature is dysfunctional will remain a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The upcoming legislative elections are so important. Yet the voters are so colossally indifferent. The candidates have been marginalized by the outgoing president and the ruling and opposition party's presidential candidates. No mention is made of the legislative elections. Naturally it has been marginalized. Candidates for the legislature actively or passively rely on the so-called "princes" to endorse their candidacy and increase their exposure. In particular they rely on Chen Shui-bian to stump for them. As a result, all we see in the election arena, from north to south, is Chen Shui-bian denouncing the United States and the two Chiangs. The candidates for the legislature are supposed to be the stars of the show. What have they said? What do they want to say? Nobody cares. Nobody asks.

Among the hundreds of candidates, only smaller party candidates are willing to talk about the issues. Standing in the winter cold, they talk about protecting the environment. Their criticisms are harsh. "If you don't care about environmental protection, don't bother telling us how much you love Taiwan!" But no one listens to them. This election has been about pointless irrelevancies such as "Joining the UN" or "Rejoining the UN." About the single stage vs. two stage balloting procedures. About whether to demolish the plaque over the ceremonial gateway to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial. About whether to "imprison" the bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek by surrounding it with iron bars. Night and day controversies rage. The spotlight remains on the president, on the secretary general of the Ministry of Education, on the chief of the Government Information Office, on the hierarchy of the Central Election Committee. Even UMC Honorary Chairman Tsao Hsing-chen's "Cross-Straits Peace Act" has become the object of Chen Shui-bian's attacks, turning Tsao into one of the major players. All that is missing is the candidates for the legislature.

When you think it about, it's really rather sad. If you look at the legislative elections over the past 20 years, no matter how hysterical or tense the political atmosphere became, the candidates always paid some attention to the issues. When Shih Ming-teh was DPP Chairman, the withdrawal of troops from Kinmen and Matsu was a serious election issue. When Hsu Hsin-liang was DPP Chairman, he played the welfare for senior citizens card, forcing KMT Chairman Lee Teng-hui to follow suit. Now it has has become a policy the nation must implement on an annual basis. When Lin Yi-hsiung was DPP Chairman, he promoted his referendum to halt construction on Nuclear Plant No. 4. The subsequent halting and resuming of construction on Nuclear Plant No. 4 constituted an international fiasco. But it was unquestionably a serious issue.

Leave Nuclear Plant No. 4 aside for the moment. Environmental issues have been seriously marginalized this year. The Yunlin No. 8 Cracking Plant, the Meinung Reservoir, the Su Hua Highway, and the Snow Mountain Tunnel were important issues in previous legislative and presidential elections. Candidates for the legislature dared not treat these issues lightly. Even presidential candidates treated these issues as matters of national importance. Today however, the candidates never speak of these issues. Mention of them in print, in election pamphlets is even more rare.

The DPP and KMT have been promoting utterly pointless and irrelevant plebiscites on UN membership. The Kaohsiung Teachers Association meanwhile, has proposed a modest but meaningful plebiscite on Small Class Teaching and Learning. But time is short. Their petition has the necessary number of signatures. It truly is a " bottom-up" plebiscite. But it must take a back sea to the "Join the UN" and "Rejoin the UN" plebiscites being held in conjunction with the presidential election. Will it be given the attention it deserves? Take a wild guess. Wouldn't you think legislators from Kaohsiung would show some concern for a plebiscite Kaohsiung citizens petitioned for on their own initiative? Yet legislators willing to voice concern for parents and teachers can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Hardly anyone gives a damn.

If legislative candidates don't talk about public welfare, what do they talk about? They talk about their rivals' dirty laundry and health problems. If it isn't extramarital affairs, then it's who's supporting a mistress. Or who is addicted to drugs or popping ecstasy. Who had a stroke or whose mind is going. Whether their vicious rumors are true or false, nobody cares. To expect voters to feel concern, let alone enthusiasm for legislative elections dominated by smear campaigns and rumor mongering is no easy matter.

No kidding. The legislative elections really are important. The new legislature will have only 113 members. These legislators will decide how to spend one trillion dollars every year. No matter who is elected president in 2008, this Legislative Yuan will approve Control Yuan members and Grand Justices nominated by the president. It will pass major legislation submitted by the Executive Yuan. The future direction of the Republic of China will be determined largely by the Legislative Yuan. If the legislative elections lose focus, how can we establish a functioning parliament? Voters are ignorant. Political stars are insensible. Can ruling and opposition legislative candidates shoulder a little responsibility? Can they make a little effort? Can they seize the opportunity during these last few days to get back to the issues?

中時電子報
中國時報 　2008.01.03
一場議題完全消失的選舉
中時社論

　立委選舉重不重要？當然重要！因為選後的國會將主導未來四年的重大政策、法案、預算；今年的立委選舉尤其重要，為什麼？因為今年國會選制改變，立委人數足足減少一半，每位立委的政策影響力等同一夕倍增，而過去八年惡劣的國會政黨生態能否改變，在此一舉。

　這麼重要的選舉，你知道嗎？大多數人的答案可能很簡單，只有三個字：不知道，或者複雜一點七個字：知道但我不關心。為什麼不知道？為什麼不關心？因為懶得知道、懶得關心，立法院在各項民調中，幾乎成為政治之惡的代名詞；很遺憾的，多數選民的不關心，讓國會生態與素質長年無法提昇，甚至每下愈況；更遺憾的，因為立委本身不知己身權責的重要，讓國會陷入汙名化的惡性循環難以解脫。

　即將到來的立委選舉，這麼重要，選情卻這麼冷清，立委候選人被現任總統、以及競逐大位的朝野總統參選人邊緣化，遑論立委選舉的議題，必然被邊緣化。因為立委候選人們主動或被動地依賴所謂天王造勢，尤其依賴陳水扁總統的辛辣輔選，結果，選舉舞台上，只見扁一人從北罵到南，從美國罵到兩蔣，理應是立委選舉主角的立委們，到底說了什麼話？或想說什麼話？自然無人聞問。

　在數百候選人中，還肯孤軍奮戰談談議題的，大概只剩下小黨候選人，他們在冷風中訴求環保，罵得夠重了，「不重視環保，談什麼愛台灣！」還是沒人理他們。沒辦法，這場選舉，從返聯、入聯公投爭議無休，一階段、二階段爭議難了，大中至正拆是不拆，蔣介石銅像關是不關，吵得日以繼夜，聚光燈下的焦點是總統、教育部主祕、新聞局長、各級選委會主委，甚至連聯電名譽董事長曹興誠推動「兩岸和平促進法」，都能成為陳水扁輔選場子上痛批的對手，一躍而成為主角之一，獨缺立委候選人們。

　想來真的很悲哀，細數過去廿年的立委選舉，不論選戰多激情，選情多緊繃，在這個舞台上，總還是有許多值得討論的話題，施明德擔任民進黨主席時，金馬撤軍是一個朝野嚴肅面對的選舉議題；許信良擔任民進黨主席時，還打出一個老人年金，讓國民黨主席李登輝非跟不可，跟到現在，已經成為國家年度非辦不可的政策；林義雄擔任黨主席時代，推動的是核四公投，儘管核四蓋了又停、停了又蓋，掀起漫天政治烽火。

　不談核四，就拿今年被嚴重邊緣化的環保議題好了，雲林八輕、美濃水庫、蘇花高、雪山隧道，都曾經是歷次立委選舉、甚至總統大選的重要議題，不要說立委候選人不敢輕忽，總統候選人也當成國家大事，成為可以左右選情的變數。如今，這些議題候選人嘴上不說，連印文宣品都屬鳳毛麟角。

　高雄市教師會非常有心，在藍綠推動無關民生宏旨的「重大公投」後，自主推動市民連署小班制教學公投，不過，時間有限，這個已經跨過公民連署門檻，而且真的是「由下而上」的公投議題，最快只能跟在總統大選的入聯與返聯公投後面，其可能受到的重視與關切可想而知。高雄市民自主連署推動的公投案，不論如何，高雄市立委總該關心一下吧，但是，願為這些家長老師發聲的立委候選人依舊屈指可數，激盪不出太多火花。

　立委候選人們不談民生政策，談什麼呢？他們談的是對手的八卦緋聞和身體健康，不是「討客兄」，就是「開查某」，甚至還有「吸毒，嗑搖頭丸」，中風或腦袋秀逗，這些惡言到底是真是假，沒人管。選民被此說彼爛的傳單或耳語攻勢包圍下，想要對立委選舉有絲毫關心或熱情，委實很難。

　真的不能開玩笑，國會改選真的很重要，未來的國會只有一百一十三位立委，這些立委要決定國家每年上兆總預算，二○○八總統不論是誰，這個立法院要通過總統提名的監委與大法官、要通過行政院提送的重大政策，台灣未來怎麼走，有一大半操諸立法院手中，失焦的立委選舉，不可能創造出健康的國會。選民無知、輔選天王無覺，就是朝野立委候選人不能不清楚自己肩負的責任，用一點心，把握最後幾天的機會，讓自己的選舉回歸政策、回歸正常吧。