Has the Outgoing Democratic Progressive Party Learned Its Lesson?

Has the Outgoing Democratic Progressive Party Learned Its Lesson?
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
March 27, 2008

After the election debacle, Chen Shui-bian hid from public view, and the Four Princes of the DPP fell silent. The DPP has two months to luxuriate in its power. No one, it seems, is willing to urge the upper echelons of the party to reflect over its eight years of folly. It is amazing how little time it took for the DPP to fritter away the moral capital it earned during the "dang wai" (party outsider) era.

The DPP has dragged its feet on conducting an internal review for years. In 2004 Chen Shui-bian "narrowly won" amidst a mysterious shooting incident. In the four years since, the DPP has barely managed to hang on to Kaohsiung City. Its margins of victory have steadily diminished. These were warning signals, expressions of disappointment and discontent with the ruling DPP. Alas, the Democratic Progressive Party chose to rest on its laurels, by consolidating its core support. It had absolutely no intention of engaging in self-introspection.

Even now, the Green camp feels betrayed and bewildered by the electorate's "desertion." Some claim they failed to adequately "package" their political achievements. Some openly express disgust with the people of Taiwan. Some pass the buck to people who never even joined the party, such as Chuang Kuo-jung. Many more concentrate exclusively on fighting over official positions within the party hierarchy. No one engages in heartfelt introspection. The DPP was arrogant when it wielded power. It is resentful in the face of defeat and unresponsive in the face of public censure. Its behavior betrays its dictatorial mindset, and the hollowness of its progressive slogans.

Does the Democratic Progressive Party even know why it fell from grace? Does the Democratic Progressive Party know why its trump cards, its Sinopobia card, its McCarthyite smear card, its Nativist card, its "ethnicity" card all lost their magic this time? The DPP had better think through these questions before it launches a new wave of purges. Only then will it understand what role it must play in the future of Taiwan's politics.

What is the DPP's problem? One could say that it chose the wrong political path, but it would be more accurate to say that it lost touch with the people. First, Chen Shui-bian abandoned his "all people's government." He began inciting petty ethnic hatred, consciously adopting methods he knew would hurt people. He intentionally divided people on Taiwan into "us" and "them," leaving people queasy and anxious. Chen Shui-bian knew perfectly well that goals such as Taiwan independence were impossible to achieve. Yet he relentlessly demagogued the issue. He insulted the public's intelligence and feelings. A political party that plays people for fools, eventually plays itself for a fool.

Secondly, when Chen Shui-bian and other government officials were implicted time and again in corruption scandals, the DPP did not engage in self-introspection. It ignored right and wrong and backed Chen all the way. This was contrary to the people's expectations. When Green camp leaders of integrity were attacked and ostracized, the old and new "Three Stooges" suddenly became media darlings. How long did the DPP imagine the public would tolerate the DPP's decadence? The Chen regime repeatedly invoked Transitional Justice to rationalize unwarranted campaigns to "Rectify Names," to purge the legacy of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo, to "de-Sinicize" Taiwan, and to engage in "historical revisionism" of public school textbooks. Such actions revealed the DPP's cold-blooded nature and affronted the public's moral sensibilities.

The ruling DPP lacked ability, but stubbornly refused to recruit from outside the party. It disrespected professionalism and abused its power by hiring political cronies and blood relatives. Bad money drove out good money, and the economy nose-dived into depression. The DPP has long boasted it had the gift of gab, and could make the people believe anything. Therefore it did not need to listen to the people. The DPP had toyed with the people's feelings for so long, and abused their trust for so long, it was only a matter of time before the people finally spurned the DPP.

For eight years, the DPP has been living in the past. On the one hand, it imagines that as long as it firmly affixes a label reading "Demon" on the KMT's forehead, it can endlessly defraud the people and win their unconditional support. On the other hand, it has retained its combative nature as an opposition party. It invests all its energies in endless struggles for power. It gives no thought to governing the nation. It remains incapable of responding to the people's desire for stability and prosperity. Living in the past has disconnected the DPP from the rest of the world, not to mention the public on Taiwan. Its "field army" governing style has caused no end of suffering and instability.

The DPP's plight is not the fault of Chen Shui-bian alone. Nor was it the fault of Chuang Kuo-jung and his ilk. It was the result of the entire party's willful self-delusion. Power corrupts. The DPP confirmed the truth of this addage by observing the KMT. Yet when the DPP acquired power, it confirmed the truth of this addage by its own actions, even more swiftly. The DPP does not need to issue solemn declarations about its reformist zeal or revolutionary courage. All it needs to do is engage in self-introspection. All it needs to do is realize how it betrayed the people, and why it has now been disowned by the people it betrayed.

The DPP, after eight years of gross misrule, will soon have to relinquish political power. Sad to say, the DPP still hasn't learned its civics lesson. What is gratifying though, is that the people are no longer willing to play the DPP's game. They are no longer willing to be True Believers in the DPP's fictitious "Future Nation of Taiwan." The people have chosen to live in the real world. To advance steadily towards the down to earth goal of peace and prosperity. It is now the Democratic Progressive Party's turn to decide what role it wants to play.

即將下台，民進黨學會了執政這一課嗎？
【聯合報 ╱社論】
2008.03.27 04:32 am

大敗之後，陳水扁刻意避免露臉，四大天王寂然無聲；這個僅剩兩個月權力大餐可享用的政黨，上層似乎無人願敦促全黨共同反省這八年的荒唐。很難想像，自黨外時代積累下來的進步精神，就這樣迅速耗光了。

民進黨該做的內部檢討，其實已拖了多年。二○○四年陳水扁在槍擊疑雲中驚險勝出後，四年以來，民進黨僅勉強維持住高雄市的一場勝選；一次次敗績，都是人民向執政黨表達失望與不滿的警訊。可惜，得意忘形的民進黨以坐擁基本盤顧盼自雄，對自己的作為毫無反省之意。

即使至今，綠營內部對選民的「遺棄」仍充滿怨懟與不解。有人宣稱是政績「包裝」不足，有人公然指責台灣人民令人失望，有人把責任推給未入黨的莊國榮，更多人只顧著謀奪黨中央的大位，沒有人誠懇反省。民進黨面對權位的傲慢，相對於它面對敗選的不甘和面對民意鞭策的無動於衷，充分反映它民主素養的缺乏，以及進步口號的空洞。

民進黨知道自己為何丟掉政權嗎？民進黨知道為何過去屢試不爽的恐嚇牌、抹黑牌、本土牌、族群牌這次卻全告失靈嗎？在展開新一波清算之前，民進黨最好把這些問題思考清楚，才能自知未來在台灣政治中該扮演什麼角色。

民進黨的問題，與其說是政治路線選擇失當，不如說是它的心遠遠背離了人民。首先，當陳水扁放棄「全民政府」路線，轉向族群動員，他等於選擇了傷害人民感情的手段，故意撕裂台灣。這帶給民眾極度的不安和焦慮。再說，扁政府明知入聯、台獨等訴求都是難以實現的目標，卻一再操弄，並樂此不疲；這不僅侮辱人民的智慧，也欺騙了百姓的感情。一個欺弄人民的政黨，最後也掉入自我欺騙的陷阱。

其次，當陳水扁及其政府官員不斷爆發貪腐醜聞，民進黨不僅不思反省，反而罔顧是非全力挺扁，這完全違背了民主政治的倫理和人民的道德期待。試想，綠營正派之士遭到批鬥及排擠，反而是新舊三寶者流相繼走紅，這種加速沉淪的醜態，人民能容忍到幾時？此外，扁政府反覆利用轉型正義之名，執行不必要的正名、去蔣、去中乃至刪修教科書的行動，不僅暴露民進黨的冷血，也一再挑戰民眾道德良知的底線。

再者，民進黨執政能力不足，卻無意廣納人才，不肯尊重專業，反而一再濫用朋黨親私。劣幣驅逐良幣的結果，是使國家經濟陷入衰退，使人民生活陷入困頓。民進黨一向自恃辯才無礙，以為人民很容易哄騙和說服，所以不需要傾聽人民的聲音。正因長期玩弄人民的感情、輕忽人民的期待、壓榨人民的善意，民進黨最後遭到選民唾棄自是勢所必然。

過去八年，民進黨把自己停格在一個過去的世界：一方面，以為只要把「惡魔」的標籤緊緊貼在國民黨頭上，自己就可以無盡騙取人民的支持；另一方面，它保持自己在野的戰鬥性格不變，耽溺於各面向的攻伐征戰，不思治國，亦無法回應人民對安定和繁榮的渴望。正因為這種「過去式」的執政觀點，使民進黨和世界脫節，和人民脫節；也因為其「野戰式」的執政性格，使人民受苦，使台灣動盪遭殃。

民進黨今天的困頓，不是陳水扁一人造成的，當然更不是莊國榮之流的責任，而是整個黨自我蒙蔽、集體催眠的結果。權力使人腐敗，民進黨從國民黨身上看到這個問題，卻用更短的時間親身驗證了這點。今天，民進黨不需要向人民宣示它有多大的改革勇氣和決心，它要做的就是自我反省，想清楚，自己如何背棄了人民，又為何被人民拋棄。

遺憾的是，執政八年，馬上就要交卸政權，民進黨卻還是沒學會執政這一課。而值得欣慰的是，人民不想陪民進黨在歷史的廢墟中徘徊，也不想再當虛無的「未來國家」的信徒；人民選擇活在當下，腳踏實地往可以預期的前景邁進。現在，輪到民進黨選擇自己的位置了。