The KMT must transcend Blue vs. Green, the DPP must return to the Truth

The KMT must transcend Blue vs. Green, the DPP must return to the Truth
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
January 28, 2008

Those still counting on Blue and Green core support have been swept away by a tidal wave of public opinion. Chen Shui-bian maintains that Taiwan "has no centrist voters." But his political credentials have just been stamped "null and void" by these allegedly non-existent centrist voters.

Turning Taiwan into only two colors -- Blue and Green, then spinning everything of value as Green, has been the Democratic Progressive Party's most grievous sin against the people of Taiwan. It is an even more grievous sin than its poor political record.

This sort of political culture inquires only about one's political colors. It is indifferent to right and wrong. If it is not changed, it will inflict inestimable damage upon the Republic of China. Today the Blue Camp has an absolute majority in the legislature. If Ma Ying-jeou is elected president, the KMT will have the perfect opportunity to rid us of this endless Blue vs. Green standoff, to restore a "two-toned Taiwan" to its original rich hues. This is a duty the KMT must not shirk.

To make clear political distinctions is easy. But anyone who has had a taste of Taiwan's Blue vs. Green politics in recent years, knows this two-colored universe in which "either you are with us, or you are against us" is far from desirable. Reducing every issue to two colors, to two positions, treating every value as one held by either us or them, by either friend or foe, has turned Taiwan into a demoralized realm lacking in tolerance and creativity.

Over the past eight years, Taiwan has been mired in a standoff between the ruling and opposition political camps. All society has been affected, deprived of middle ground, deprived of the right to dissent, forced to take sides. It is said that people voted "for the Blues." It would be more accurate to say that people voted "against the Greens." They opposed the Green Regime's imposition of an exclusively Green ideology and value system upon Taiwan. The people demanded liberation from the shackles of ideology. They demanded a return to right and wrong, a return to reason. If the DPP still hopes to consolidate its Deep Green core support, it is turning a deaf ear to the cries of the people.

In recent years, the Democratic Progressive Party has been in the thrall of a terrible myth. It believed it had an exclusive franchise on "Taiwanese identity." It believed that as long it shouted "We love Taiwan!" it enjoyed carte blanche. Election victories were theirs for the taking. Make no mistake, their talisman could once work miracles. But the recent election showed that their talisman has lost its magic. The main reason is the DPP has never been able link its "Taiwanese identity" with anything concrete. Under the aegis of this grand concept, one finds ... exactly nothing. To the public "Nativism" is mere idolatry. It is nothing one can sink one's teeth into. And when peoples' survival is at stake, they begin wondering whether this idol has feet of clay.

How to manifest a "Taiwanese identity" in a way that is meaningful for the people is what the DPP must think about. Rampant "Nativism" has sanctified the DPP's image.

But politics is not religion. In the end politicians must pass muster on ability, professionalism, and character. An endless string of corruption scandals involving the presidential office and DPP legislators have taken the lustre off the Green Camp's nativist halo. If the DPP refuses to admit it has distorted the truth and polarized society, it had better prepare for the next round of voter punishments.

This election was a major victory for the Blue Camp. The public could no longer tolerate stagnation, bickering, and regression. Otherwise why would they overwhelmingly choose to punish the chief culprits, Chen Shui-bian and the Democratic Progressive Party? Many small parties were squeezed out of the picture. The electorate could no longer tolerate the Blue/Green stalemate. They felt a need to grant a clear majority to the Blue Camp, to reduce the oppressive Green Camp to a minority. Only then, they felt, cold Taiwan experience a rebirth of hope.

If the KMT understands the voters' disgust with this "War of the Colors" it won't gloat over its victory. It won merely because a large number of rational voters voted Blue in order to defeat the Greens. Once it is fully in authority, the KMT must assume responsibility for breaking the bipartisan deadlock. It must unmuzzle voices that have been silenced for the past eight years. It must allow a hundred flowers to bloom. It must create more room for rational debate. It must seized the opportunity to lead Taiwan out of the 2008 recession and advance toward peace and prosperity.

The victor must adopt a broader vision that transcends Blue and Green. The defeated must humbly return to the values of the people, to right and wrong. The Blue and Green camps must not misread public opinion.

國民黨應超越藍綠，民進黨須回歸是非
【聯合報╱社論】
2008.01.28 03:09 am

往前看，那些還在精心清點藍綠「基本盤」的人，都該被民氣捲起的滔天巨浪淘汰了。事實上，當陳水扁還在鐵齒說台灣「沒有中間選民」，他的政治信用，已經被移動的中間選民蓋章作廢了。

把台灣變成只剩藍綠兩色，再把所有價值統統漆上綠色，這是民進黨對台灣最大的荼毒，比它政績惡劣還可怕。

這種「只問顏色、不問是非」的風氣，若不設法改變，對台灣將貽害無窮。如今藍軍在國會佔有絕對優勢，若馬英九日後又勝選，國民黨將有絕佳機會清洗這種「兩色對立」的恐怖單調，讓「兩色的台灣」恢復它的多元色彩，這也是國民黨無可旁貸的使命。

用顏色區分政治固簡單明瞭，但任何品嘗過近年台灣「藍綠政治」之愚昧與恐怖的人，絕對不會喜歡這種「非藍即綠」的雙色世界。把一切是非、論辯都簡化成兩種顏色、兩個立場，把所有價值都依「非我即彼」、「非友即敵」來歸類，台灣不僅變得無趣，變得激情對立，也失去了創意和寬容。

過去八年，台灣何止是陷入朝野政治對立的泥淖，整個台灣社會人心都被波及、腐蝕，被剝奪了中間地帶，被剝奪了異議的資格，被強制在兩色之中選邊。這次選舉結果，與其說是人民選擇「投藍」，不如說是人民選擇「反綠」，亦即反對綠色執政加諸台灣的單一意識形態和單一價值判斷。更積極的意義，是人民要求去除意識形態的枷鎖，要求政治回歸是非，論辯回歸理性。因此，民進黨若還在慶幸綠色「基本盤」鞏固如昔，那就是捂耳不聽人民震耳欲聾的吶喊了。

這幾年，民進黨陷入一個可怕的迷思：自以為取得「台灣主體性」代表政黨的神主牌，只要喊一喊「愛台灣」，自己即變得「法相莊嚴」，選舉即可手到擒來。不錯，這套邏輯曾經呼風喚雨，但這次選舉證明它已然失效。主要原因在，民進黨始終無法將「主體性」的口號與具體的施政聯結，在這頂尊貴的大帽子底下，內容一直空空如也。對人民而言，本土變成只能膜拜、無法品嘗的東西，而當人們連自己的生活都捉襟見肘，遂開始懷疑這個神是假的。

如何將台灣「主體性」落實為對人民有意義的施政，這是民進黨必須深切思考之處。在本土化崇拜沸騰的年代，民進黨的形象，在那個光暈下，曾被相當程度地神聖化了。

但政治畢竟不是宗教，它終究要回到能力、專業和道德形象的天平上，接受人民的檢驗。在府院貪腐弊案層出不窮的行跡逐一曝光後，曾經照耀綠營的本土神聖光芒已漸蒙塵；如果民進黨還看不到自己對是非的曲解、對專業的蹂躪、對中間地帶的踐踏，那就準備迎接選民下一次的懲罰吧！

這次選情之所以被逼成藍軍大勝，不正是因為人民對停滯、內耗、倒退的台灣已感到忍無可忍，否則，怎會如此有志一同選擇痛懲民進黨及陳水扁這個罪魁？眾多小黨之所以被擠壓到毫無空間，不也是選民覺得藍綠五五波的對峙必須用最「決絕」的手段打破，霸道的綠營必須變成少數，台灣才有重新整合的希望？

國民黨若能體會選民這種厭憎「兩色對峙」的心情，即不該為這次大勝私心竊喜，因為其間包含了太多理性選民的感情煎熬，「集中投藍」無非是為了「團結反綠」。一旦全面執政，國民黨自應承擔起打破社會「二元對立」的責任，將過去八年台灣被禁錮的聲音釋放出來，讓民間更多元燦爛的色彩自由綻放。幫台灣打造出更寬敞的中間地帶，讓理性的主張有激盪、砥礪的機會，那才是台灣走出八年衰退、走向太平盛世最重要的基礎建設。

勝者要用更寬廣的胸襟超越藍綠，敗者要謙卑反省以回歸人民的價值和是非，這是藍綠解讀選舉民意不可錯過的要點。