DPP: An Abundance of Rage, A Dearth of Proposals

DPP: An Abundance of Rage, A Dearth of Proposals
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
January 10, 2012

Summary: The DPP will hold its "Raging Citizens Protest March" this Sunday. Party insiders had reservations about the march. They said "All we see is rage. Where are the policy proposals?" Some are even predicting that once the march is over, the DPP will resume spinning its wheels.

Full Text below:

The DPP will hold its "Raging Citizens Protest March" this Sunday. Party insiders had reservations about the march. They said "All we see is rage. Where are the policy proposals?" Some are even predicting that once the march is over, the DPP will resume spinning its wheels.

The DPP has been spinning its wheels, hobbled by internal conflict. Take three examples. One. The Chen family corruption scandal. Two. ECFA. Three. U.S. beef imports. The DPP remains a hostage of the Chen family corruption scandal. Even today it lacks the courage to condemn Chen family corruption. Just the opposite, the entire party, in stubborn defiance of justice, is aiding and abetting Chen Shui-bian in his quest for "medical parole." It is twisting the meaning of the laws pertaining to parole. As a result the party's "Transitional Justice" has gone nowhere, and continues to spin its wheels. In 2008, the DPP demagogued ECFA, alleging that it "forfeited sovereignty, humiliated the nation" and "pandered to [Mainland] China and sold out Taiwan." It persisted until 2012, when it suddenly sang a different tune. It announced that "If the DPP returns to power, it will continue the previous administration's cross-Strait policy." This major about face was another example of DPP wheel-spinning. It happened because the DPP's cross-strait policy "reform" remains stillborn. The U.S. beef imports controversy raged for several months. DPP legislators even held an multi-night "slumber party" on the legislature floor. In the end however, they closed up shop and agreed to "abide by international standards." Their temper tantrum was for naught.

The Chen family corruption scandal shows that the DPP has forfeited the moral high ground. The DPP's cross-strait policy shows that its anti-ECFA crusade was a debacle. The U.S. beef imports controversy shows that the DPP's "Raging Citizens" card is the demagoguing of phony issues. These are all examples of how the DPP is spinning its wheels. These have forced caused the nation and society to spin their wheels as well. Little wonder that when contemplating Sunday's "Raging Citizens Protest March" some are saying, "All we see is rage. Where are the policy proposals?"

The DPP has become a Machiavellian political party. Political trickery reigns supreme. It has abandoned its principles. It lacks a compass. It even lacks a goal. It aided and abetted Chen Shui-bian. It is deft at political trickery but lacking in moral principles. It opposed ECFA. It is deft at political trickery, but lacking in policy direction. During the U.S. beef imports controversy, it was adept at political protests, but lacking in policy goals. Being adept at political trickery but lacking in moral principles, has led it to equate ideology with "policy," political struggle with "reform," and incitement of social divisions with "love for Taiwan." This is a political party that pretends to take action. But its only real action is wheel-spinning. It holds countless protest marches. But its protests are mere internal bickering.

The DPP could have chosen not be such a political party. But its Machiavellianism has led to a transformation in character. This transformation includes three aspects. One. Before and after the lifting of martial law, the DPP's principles and goals were clear. Overthrow the "Ten Thousand Year Assembly," and return to constitutional rule. But then it colluded with Lee Teng-hui to "amend," i.e., shred the Constitution. It treated the Constitution is a sacrifice it its political struggle. Its Machiavellianism led to the shredding of the Constitution. Its "Taiwan independence party platform" called for the "Rectification of Names." This has been exposed for what it is, a phony issue. But it forced the nation and society to pay a heavy price -- two decades of wheel-spinning.

Two. Before and after the 1990s it proposed "subsidies for farmers," "allowances for the elderly," and "allowances for fishermen." It was originally a legitimate advocate of social welfare. But then it began competing with the KMT to see who could engage in the most political patronage. It underwent a transformation in character. Since then, the DPP's policies for social welfare, environmental protection, nuclear energy, annuities, health insurance, capital gains tax, have all been recut a la Machiavelli. The DPP neglects the Big Picture. It considers only tactical advantage in its ongoing political struggle.

Three. After 2008, the DPP's cross-Strait policy became opposition to ECFA and the 1992 consensus. It said it "opposed the forfeiting of sovereignty and the humiliation the nation," it said it opposed "pandering to [Mainland] China and selling out Taiwan." It has yet to clean up the mess left by its Machievellianism. The DPP finds itself on the horns of a dilemma. Its plight is clear to see.

As we can see, the DPP thinks it can demagogue national and constitutional allegiance by means of Machievillian trickery. Suddenly it trots out its "Taiwan independence party platform." Suddenly it trots out its "five noes." Suddenly it trots out its "rectification of names." It resorts to Machievellian trickery in nuclear energy policy. Suddenly it halts construction of the Number Four Nuclear Power Plant. Suddenly it orders an accelerated construction schedule for the Number Four Nuclear Power Plant. Suddenly it demands a nuclear-free homeland. It resorts to Machievellian trickery in cross-Strait policy. Suddenly it opposes ECFA. Suddenly it "unconditionally accepts" ECFA. We have a suggestion. Before the DPP takes to the streets on Sunday it should first ask itself this question. One protest march after another has arrived on Ketagalan Boulevard, then scattered. But what does the DPP want? What is its policy? What are its goals? Just where does the DPP want to go?

Today's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), cannot even form an intraparty "China Affairs Committee." Yet it shrilly demands a National Policy Conference. But convening a National Policy Conference is merely another Machievellian tactic in its ongoing political struggle. It is not a policy direction. What is it, but another "Raging Citizens Protest March?" One that ends up on the ash heap, spinning its wheels?

"All we saw was rage. Where were the policy proposals?" The DPP has a body, but it has no soul. The DPP acts, but it has no principles. The DPP moves, but it has no direction. Perhaps Su Tseng-chang hopes the march will injecdt life into the DPP. But he must first rebuild tge DPP's policy framework on a secure moral foundation. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

The "Raging Citizens Protest March" is an example of Machievellian tactics trumping policy direction. Once the march has ended, will the DPP resume spinning its wheels?

空有火大 不見主張
【聯合報╱社論】
2013.01.10

民進黨的「火大遊行」周日上路，黨內中生代質疑「空有火大，不見主張」；並有人鐵口預言，遊行過後，民進黨仍將陷於目前這種空轉的困境。

民進黨已經久陷於嚴重的空轉內耗。僅舉三例：一、扁案。二、ＥＣＦＡ。三、美牛案。民進黨已完全被扁案挾持，迄今不敢對扁案做出道德譴責，反而整個黨正在協助陳水扁以「保外就醫」對抗司法，扭曲了監獄行刑法，已使黨內的轉型正義陷於無止境的空轉。ＥＣＦＡ則從二○○八年的「喪權辱國／傾中賣台」，一路鬧到二○一二，竟突然改口說「民進黨若再執政將延續前朝兩岸政策」；這個大轉彎迄今仍在「空轉」之中，因為民進黨的兩岸政策「轉型」尚在「空轉」。美牛案則吵了幾個月，甚至鬧到夜宿議場，結果卻以「遵照國際標準」收攤，白白「火大」了一場。

扁案顯示民進黨已喪失道德立場，反ＥＣＦＡ則反映民進黨的兩岸政策徹底失敗，美牛案則證明民進黨的「火大」有時根本是無的放矢的「假議題」。這些都是民進黨的內耗空轉，並也轉嫁成了國家社會的內耗空轉。也就難怪，面對周日的「火大遊行」，有人質疑：「空有火大，主張何在？」

民進黨已經成為一個「技術主義」或「權謀主義」掛帥的政黨；由於技術及權謀掛帥，因此失去原則，沒有方向，甚至無的放矢。挺扁，重權謀而無原則；反ＥＣＦＡ，重權謀而無方向；美牛案，更是只重抗爭技術，卻根本是無的放矢。由於重技術而無原則，因此遂將意識形態視為「政策」，將政治鬥爭視為「改革」，將撕裂視為「愛台灣」。這樣的政黨，動作很大，卻皆是空轉；遊行很多，卻只是內耗。

民進黨原本可以不是這樣的政黨，卻因權謀主義及技術主義而量變導致質變。其變化過程大致可分三個面向：一、解嚴前後，民進黨的政策原則與運動方向十分清楚，推翻萬年國會，回歸憲政；但自與李登輝聯手修憲而導致毀憲後，不啻將憲法視為政爭的供品，以權謀主義造成憲法敗毀；至於楬櫫《台獨黨綱》，倡議正名制憲，如今皆成假議題，卻使國家社會付出了近二十年空轉的代價。

二、一九九○年代前後，提出「老農津貼」、「老人津貼」、「漁民津貼」等，原是社會福利的正當主張，卻是以「與國民黨比賽利益綁樁」的「技術主義」為著眼，遂致變質。此後，民進黨的社福、環保、核能、年金、健保、證所稅等政策，皆以權謀主義見長；並無關照全局的政策理念，而是以政爭的技術觀點為依違。

三、二○○八年以後，民進黨以反ＥＣＦＡ及反九二共識為其「兩岸政策」的主軸，打著「反喪權辱國，反傾中賣台」的口號；這個出自「技術主義」的爛攤子迄今尚不知如何收拾，民進黨進退維谷、左支右絀的窘態可謂有目共睹。

由上述討論可見，在民進黨的「技術主義」操作下，國憲認同可以權謀化，一下子《台獨黨綱》，一下子「四不一沒有」，一下子正名制憲；核能政策可以權謀化，一下子停建核四，一下子命核四趕工，一下子非核家園；兩岸政策也可權謀化，一下子反ＥＣＦＡ，一下子「概括承受」。我們建議，民進黨人在周日上街以前，先自己問問自己：場場遊行皆可走到凱達格蘭大道就散場，但民進黨的主張究竟是什麼？政策究竟是什麼？方向究竟是什麼？民進黨究竟要往何處去？

今天的民進黨，連黨內的「中國事務委員會」都拼湊不起來，卻只是吼叫要開國是會議。然若召開國是會議仍只是政治鬥爭的「技術主義」，而非「政策取向」，豈不又是一場「火大」燒出了一堆「空轉」的灰燼？

「空有火大，不見主張」，這使民進黨陷於「無魂有體」、「有動作／無原則」、「有運動／無方向」的危境；蘇貞昌或許寄望這場遊行能使民進黨動起來，但若不能重建民進黨的道德立場與政策架構，天下豈有無薪自燃的道理？

這場「火大遊行」仍是「技術主義」超越「政策取向」。遊行過後，民進黨仍將空轉嗎？