Tsai Ing-wen's Cutthroat Attacks Harm Nuclear Power Plants

Tsai Ing-wen's Cutthroat Attacks Harm Nuclear Power Plants
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
March 26, 2011

Tsai Ing-wen said that if elected president, she will ensure that Nuclear Plant Four never goes into commercial operation. She also said she would halt construction on the Kuo Kuang Petrochemical project.

In fact, if Tsai Ing-wen is elected, she may halt or abolish more than just these two projects. Tsai Ing-wen also said that if the Democratic Progressive Party once again assumes power, it would repudiate the 1992 consensus, rethink ECFA, and abandon "growth first" economic policies.

Tsai Ing-wen has taken the DPP's "cut-throat tactics" to the limit. What are cut-throat tactics? A nation's survival and development requires a macroeconomic framework. This general framework is different for every nation. It is usually difficult to cover every policy issue within this framework. Therefore when dealing with the many policy issues that fall under this general framework, one must often make different choices. For example, for Saudi Arabia, nuclear power generation is not an issue. Relations between the ROK and PRC do not require an SEF. But the ROC has different concerns than Saudi Arabia. When the ROC and the PRC conduct exchanges, they must don white gloves. In other words, specific policies will vary depending upon the general framework. One cannot divorce specific policies from the general framework and deal with them individually.

In the Republic of China, the general political and economic framework involves issues of national allegiance, constitutional allegiance, cross-Strait relations and globalization. Specific policies are more or less subject to constraints imposed by this general framework. The first thing the DPP's cut-throat tactics do, is divorce the general framework from specific policies. Tsai Ing-wen repudiates the general framework of 1992 consensus. She talks only of specific policies, such as cross-Strait economic and trade exchanges. She wants a general framework of globalization. But she also wants to suppress cross-Strait economic and trade exchanges. Taiwan independence is utterly inconsistent with the general framework of the Republic of China. Yet she persists in addressing specific policies while ignoring the general framework.

The second thing the DPP's cut-throat tactics do, is chop specific policies into even smaller pieces, and incite social division with each of these pieces. The DPP incites as much social division as possible using these pieces. It engages in cut-throat tactics, until no one is left breathing.

Tsai Ing-wen's campaign strategy already shows signs of ignoring the general framework while exploiting specific policy issues. She ignores the general framework of national allegiance, constitutional allegiance, and cross-Strait relations. She ruthlessly exploits specific issues to the hilt. She repudiates the 1992 consensus, thereby appealing to the Deep Greens. She opposes nuclear power generation and the Kuo Kuang Petrochemical project, thereby appealing to environmental groups. She expresses support for "lu yi teh" compensation, thereby appealing to army veterans. She opposes the 18% special interest rate, thereby appealing to those who resent civil service retirees. She supports first time voters, thereby appealing to the young. The supports impoverished students, thereby appealing to class consciousness. She bills herself as "rational," thereby appealing to moderate voters.

Tsai Ing-wen would deny that she is calculating. But she calculates that she can ignore the general framework. She calculates that as long as the public loses sight of the general framework, she can address only specific issues and win the presidency. Such cut-throat tactics were not Tsai's invention. They have been the DPP's standard operating procedure for the past 20 years. Take subsidies for seniors and farmers. The DPP knows that its general framework is fragile and questionable. Therefore it avoids talking about it. Instead, it demagogues specific issues.

Does Tsai Ing-wen really oppose the 1992 consensus? She said "If elected, I will continue the former administration's cross-Strait policy." Does Tsai Ing-wen really stand for the total abolition of nuclear power generation? If she does, why not begin by decommissioning Nuclear Plants One, Two, and Three? Does Tsai Ing-wen really oppose the Kuo Kuang Petrochemical project? Then why did she lobby on behalf of the Kuo Kuang Petrochemical project when it was undergoing EIA, and she was vice premier? Does Tsai Ing-wen really support "lu yi teh" compensation for Army veterans? Then why did she not include full compensation in her campaign platform? From this it should be clear that Tsai Ing-wen ignores the general framework in order to exploit specific issues. When discussing political and economic issues, she puts the cart before the horse. She contradicts herself. She fails to balance the pros and cons, She ignores conflicts of interest. She demagogues isolated issues, but fails to offer a comprehensive plan for governing the nation.

In fact, Tsai Ing-wen is not unaware of the relationship between the general framework and specific policies. During the party primaries she spoke of the general framework. She declared that "Taiwan [sic] is a nation facing a difficult dilemma." She spoke of specific issues. She she declared that "[ROC] sovereignty, diplomacy, economics, fiscal affairs, distribution of wealth, education, public safety, ecology, social welfare, and the rule of law, are complex issues that cannot be reduced to slogans." But now Tsai Ing-wen cannot even offer a decent slogan, such as "peace with differences, peace while seeking commonalities." On specific issues, she calls for a halt in the construction of Nuclear Plant Four, and demagogues the Kuo Kuang Petrochemical project. Tsai Ing-wen calls for a halt to construction on Nuclear Plant Four, and the development of renewable energy. She opposes the petrochemical industry. She calls for petrochemical industry restructuring! She opposes the Kuo Kuang Petrochemical project. She says it should be moved to Saudi Arabia! She wants to suppress cross-Strait economic and trade exchanges, She wants to abandon "growth first" economic policies! It would appear that all her policy proposals have been reduced to slogans. Does anyone find that ironic?

Such cut throat tactics cannot successfully build a nation. Tsai Ing-wen may be able to use cut-throat tactics to win the party primary and the presidential election. But when her cut-throat tactics undermine her presidency, how can she possibly "bear the burden of the future?"

蔡英文割喉割到核電廠
【聯合報╱社論】 2011.03.26

蔡英文說，她若當選總統，將推動核四不商業運轉，並停止國光石化案。

其實，蔡英文若當選，可能停廢的不只是這兩件事。蔡英文也說過，民進黨再執政，要否定「九二共識」、要重估「ECFA」，並要揚棄「成長掛帥」的經濟政策。

蔡英文將民進黨的「割喉戰術」施展得淋漓盡致。先談什麼叫做割喉戰？每一個國家的生存發展，都必須有一個宏觀通盤的總架構，在此可稱為「總題」；通常，這個總架構或總題因個別國家各自的不同條件，而皆難面面俱到，因此，在根據這個「總題」，來處理不同政策領域的「分題」時，即會呈現不同的抉擇。比如說，沙烏地阿拉伯不會有核電的問題，韓國與中國交往不必有「海基會」；但在台灣談核電就與沙烏地阿拉伯有不同的考慮，中華民國與中華人民共和國交往就要先戴上白手套。也就是說，「分題」是「總題」的依變項，不能脫離「總題」而割裂處理「分題」。

在中華民國，政經「總題」的主要元素包含國家認同、憲法認同、兩岸關係及全球化等；其他「分題」則或多或少皆受這個「總題」的制約與影響。民進黨的割喉戰術，第一個步驟就是將「總題」與「分題」割開。蔡英文否定「九二共識」（總題），而談「兩岸經貿」（分題）；欲發展「全球化」（總題），卻抑制「兩岸經貿」（分題）；台獨路線則是在根本否定「中華民國」這個「總題」之下，去談論其他的「分題」。

割喉戰術的第二個步驟，是將各個「分題」也切割肢解開來，並將每一「分題」的社會矛盾分別摳挖出來，以割取每一分每一毫的對立因素，甚至不惜割到喉斷氣絕。

蔡英文的競選策略已經浮現這種「割去總題，剁爛分題」的手法。關於國家認同、憲法認同及兩岸關係的「總題」，她迴避，她割開；但對每一個可以引發爭議的「分題」，她則盡情把它剁爛，血腥四溢。反對「九二共識」，割向深綠的喉嚨；反對核電及國光石化，割向環保團體的喉嚨；聲援陸一特，割向要求賠償者的喉嚨；反十八趴，割向憎惡公務員者的喉嚨；抬捧首投族，割向年輕族群的喉嚨；對昏燈下的學童表態，割向階級意識的喉嚨；標榜理性，割向中間選民的喉嚨……。

蔡英文的「算計」（她說她不會算計）是：只要把「總題」割開甩掉，讓大家忘掉「總題」，她就能從「分題」切割下來的肉丁骨渣之中當選總統。這種「割喉戰術」其實並非蔡英文的首創，而是民進黨二十餘年來的看家本領，如老農津貼。民進黨自知其「總題論述」既脆弱又令人質疑，所以迴避「總題」，而更要用「分題」來割喉。

蔡英文反「九二共識」嗎？她卻說：「若執政將延續前朝兩岸政策。」蔡英文主張全面廢核電嗎？何以不從核一二三廠除役思考起？蔡英文反國光石化嗎？何以在行政院副院長任內為國光石化的環評關說？蔡英文挺陸一特嗎？何以尚未見她將全面賠償列為競選政見？由此可以預見：蔡英文這種「割去總題，剁爛分題」的手法，將使她的政經論述本末倒置、自相矛盾、輕重失衡、利害衝突，成為支離破碎的割喉語言，而無可能構成一套自圓其說的治國方案。

其實，蔡英文不是不知「總題」與「分題」的關聯。她在初選宣言中說：「台灣是一個處境艱難的國家（總題），主權、外交、經濟、財政、分配、教育、治安、生態、社福、法治，這些複雜的問題（皆是分題）根本無法簡化成一個口號」。但是，現在的蔡英文，在「總題」上，連一句像樣的「口號」也提不出來（和而不同，和而求同？）；在「分題」上，則用停核四、停國光石化等「口號」來割喉。蔡英文說，停核四，發展再生能源嘛！反石化業，調整產業結構嘛！反國光石化，搬到沙烏地阿拉伯嘛！抑制兩岸經貿交流，揚棄「成長掛帥」的經濟政策嘛！這些主張，似乎皆可「簡化成一個口號」：何不食肉糜？

割喉議題不能造就一個完整的國家。也許，蔡英文有可能以割喉戰術贏得初選及總統大選；但是，當她在割喉戰術造成的肉丁骨屑中就任總統，她將憑什麼「將未來扛起來」？