KMT Fear of Fighting Merely Encourages Vicious DPP Political Struggles

KMT Fear of Fighting Merely Encourages Vicious DPP Political Struggles
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
August 15, 2014

Summary: The KMT is retreating, from one city after another, from one region after another. The DPP has the Kuomintang's number. It knows the KMT is terrified of striking back. But KMT cowardice merely encourages the DPP to escalate the conflict. This is the very reason the KMT faces a debacle in the upcoming year end elections. This chain of events can still be reversed. But the KMT must stand up and fight. Such a fight would not be "vicious political struggle." Such a fight would be a righteous fight for the welfare of the people of Taiwan. It would be show of responsibility to the public. Fighting for one's convictions is not "vicious political struggle." Refusal to fight merely encourages vicious political struggle.

Full Text Below:

The Kaohsiung gas explosion was a major disaster. It yet again revealed the DPP's bellicose nature. It provided the public a closer look at this combative political party. When it encounters someone strong, it becomes stronger. When it encounters someone weak, it becomes stronger still. Whether it is right or wrong on any particular issue, the DPP invariably yells "Charge!" It never makes concessions. It never fears confrontations. Even if it knows that both sides will suffer, it still charges ahead. If one should choose to yield, it will be insatiable. Give it an inch, and it will take a mile. Even when one is backed into a corner, or out on a limb, it will continue to advance.

Is cruelty the DPP's defining trait? Unfortunately it is. Three hours before the Kaohsiung gas explosion, the Chen Chu administration was still dithering, and felt no sense of urgency. The moment the crisis erupted, it panicked, clueless about what to do next. Once the crisis was over, and site reconstruction was the order of the day, it revealed its utter incompetence. A box culvert and pipeline caused the explosion. The DPP repeatedly lied about who was in possession of information about the box culvert and pipeline, and who had management responsibility. Its only thought was how to shirk responsibility. Its behavior was criminal. Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu has cultivated an image of herself as a "five star political leader." But the moment she was put to the test, she turned out to be a sheet of toilet paper. Pull on it and it tears.

Helpless, incompetent, and criminal. If this incident had happened in Taipei, Hau Lung-pin could step down a hundred times and it would still not be enough. Ma Ying-jeou might not even be able to serve out his full term as president.

Yet all these outrages, all happening simultaneously, have had no apparent effect on the DPP, which has turned its guns on outsiders. Party Chairman Tsai Ing-wen refused to engage in the slightest self-introspection. She covered for DPP county and municipal officials. Green camp legislators in the Legislative Yuan concentrated their fire on the central government. They assumed an air of righteous indignation. They sprayed saliva at all points of the compass. They expressed no remorse whatsoever towards Kaohsiung citizens for Chen Chu's dereliction of duty. Yet lo and behold, its political spin-control succeeded in eliminating a minister of economic affairs.

This of course is all very shocking. Here is our first question. We have in the DPP a political party that only knows how to blame others, that lacks all ability to engage in self-introspection. How can one expect such a party to govern Taiwan responsibly? How can such a party promote social harmony?

The Ma administration has endured years of scathing criticism. But at least it knows enough to engage in self-reflection, and apologize for its mistakes. It is a government that at least does not have the gall to lash out at others when it knows it is in the wrong.

Here is our second question. Is the KMT's behavior gentlemanly? Or is it merely weak? The KMT is a political party that always backs down. Does such a party make it more difficult for Taiwan to overcome adversity? Is it an unwitting accomplice? President Ma recently spoke on the gas explosion in Kaohsiung and Taiwan's economic outlook. Every point he made was right on the money. But add them all up, sign the President's name to them, and suddenly everything right becomes wrong. For example, he called for a "cessation of political struggle." The public on Taiwan abhors political struggles that threaten to bring Taiwan down. But political struggles are not going to stop merely because President Ma or the KMT say they should. Unless the DPP changes its bellicose nature, KMT concessions will merely allow the DPP to hijack bills in the legislature, leave the nation spinning its wheels, and undermine the KMT's hard won political achievements.

The KMT must open its eyes. The public has different expecations of the two political parties. What the public cannot tolerate about the DPP is its arrogance. What the public cannot tolerate about the KMT is its weakness, and how it makes promises it cannot fulfill. The public does not want to hear the KMT admonishing everyone to "cease political struggles." The public wants the the KMT to ringingly declare "No more Mister Nice Guy!" To show genuine determination and a genuine ability to defend the ruling party's ideas and policies. This is the least that can be expected of a ruling party.

This is not a call for the KMT to imitate the DPP's outrageously quarrelsome and criminal conduct. It is a call for the KMT to defend what it should defend. KMT party interests should not undermine the KMT's duties to the nation. The nation has interests. Major policy bill affect the nation's future. The KMT must consolidate its power as a party. It must devote its resources to the defense of the nation's future. On this point, the KMT should emulate the DPP. It should yell "Retreat? Hell!" and never give an inch.

Take the Kaohsiung City Government's dereliction in the gas explosion disaster. The KMT maintained a low profile. In the beginning, disaster relief had priority. The facts needed to be clarified. Caution was appropriate. But as the truth emerged, the KMT equated "ascertaining responsibility for the Kaohsiung gas explosion" with "partisan political struggle." It was afraid to assign responsibility. This is where the KMT leaves people dumbfounded. If the principal responsibilty did not belong to Kaohsiung, then unprovoked or disproportionate attacks by the KMT would rightly be condemned. But the assignment of criminal responsibility belongs to the justice system. The KMT has never fully understood its political and administrative responsibility, either as the central government or as a political party in competition with other parties. The KMT's refusal to assign responsibility does not mean that the ruling KMT is accommodating and generous. It does not mean that the KMT is setting a positive example by "ceasing political struggle." It means that the KMT has been derelict in its duty to assign responsibility where responsibility is due.

The KMT is retreating, from one city after another, from one region after another. The DPP has the Kuomintang's number. It knows the KMT is terrified of striking back. But KMT cowardice merely encourages the DPP to escalate the conflict. This is the very reason the KMT faces a debacle in the upcoming year end elections. This chain of events can still be reversed. But the KMT must stand up and fight. Such a fight would not be "vicious political struggle." Such a fight would be a righteous fight for the welfare of the people of Taiwan. It would be show of responsibility to the public.

Fighting for one's convictions is not "vicious political struggle." Refusal to fight merely encourages vicious political struggle.

社論－怯戰就是鼓勵民進黨惡鬥
2014年08月15日 04:10
本報訊

高雄氣爆這場危機災難，讓民進黨鬥爭的黨性再度顯露，讓各界更看清楚，這個鬥性十足的政黨，遇強則強，遇弱更強。任何政治議題，不管有理無理，民進黨是個永遠「前進」的政黨，你不讓步，他不惜衝撞，就算兩敗俱傷也要前進一步；但如果你選擇退讓，那他會得寸進尺，你退一步，他更要前進二步，就算你被逼到牆角，無路可退，他還是不斷前進。

很殘酷的黨性？很遺憾，事實恐怕就是如此。高雄氣爆事件裡，陳菊團隊在氣爆前3小時對於迫切危機的散漫無感、危機發生當下的慌亂無措、危機發生後對災難現場復原工作的無能顢頇，對肇事關鍵箱涵、管線資料的掌握與管理權責又不斷說謊，只想卸責，行為幾近無賴。長期包裝下的五星級首長形象，遇到真正的考驗，竟如茅紙一張，一戳即破。

無措、無能加無賴，這種情形如果發生在台北市，郝龍斌下台一百次也不夠，馬英九的總統任期能不能做完都有問題。

然而，種種荒唐離譜的行徑加在一起，竟然絲毫不妨礙民進黨將砲口轉外的戰鬥力，黨主席蔡英文全無自省，民進黨籍縣市首長護短，綠營立委則在立法院向中央全力掃射，在義正辭嚴、口水四射的亢奮中，沒有絲毫對高雄市民的歉疚，以及對陳菊失職的心虛。但這樣的政治操作，竟也成功打掉了一個經濟部長。

這當然令人怵目驚心，我們第一個疑問是：這個只會究別人的責，毫無反省能力的政黨如果執政，能期待他負責任的治理台灣嗎？台灣社會還有和諧可能嗎？

馬政府這些年遭受萬千批評，但至少遇事知反省、犯錯會道歉。這個政府沒有民進黨那種理虧反咬人的惡膽。

無奈的，這也是我們的第二個疑問：這是溫良？還是軟弱？一味隱忍退卻的執政黨，是不是也成為阻礙台灣逆境突圍的間接幫凶？以馬總統日前針對高雄氣爆與台灣經濟前景發表的談話為例。拆開來看每一句都對，但加起來再署上馬總統的名字，所有的正確就都變成了不正確，例如，呼籲「停止政治惡鬥」。台灣人民對政黨惡鬥拖垮台灣深惡痛絕，但政治惡鬥要不要停止，不是馬總統說了算、也不是國民黨做了算，民進黨的政治鬥性不改，國民黨一切的讓步，都將變成民進黨綁架法案、讓國家空轉以拖垮國民黨執政政績的政治籌碼。

國民黨必須認清楚，民眾對兩黨的期待是不同的。人民受不了的是民進黨的鴨霸，但不認同國民黨的則是軟弱。與其空言超越國民黨能力、並不單決於國民黨的「停止政治惡鬥」，民眾更希望國民黨可以宣示：「不再軟弱」。拿出真決心、真本事去捍衛執政黨的理念與政策，這才是最起碼的「執政道德」。

這不是要國民黨學民進黨的硬衝硬撞、無賴蠻橫，而是更要有為有守，國民黨的政黨利益要不要退讓是國民黨的家務事，但對於關乎台灣利益、台灣前途的重大政策法案，國民黨必須集全黨之力、傾全黨資源捍衛，在捍衛台灣未來的大方略上，這一點國民黨反而應該學民進黨，打死不退、一步不讓。

就以高雄市政府在此次氣爆事件中的種種失職言，國民黨一直保持低調，剛開始是救災第一，事實也待釐清，這樣的謹慎是對的。但隨著真相浮現，國民黨卻似乎認為「究高雄的責」就是「政治惡鬥」，仍怯於釐清責任歸屬。這就是國民黨讓人啞然的地方。如果主要責任不在高雄，國民黨無端攻訐，或以不合比例的方式扭曲放大，則應予譴責。但即便民刑責任應由司法機關釐清，在政治責任與行政責任部分，身為中央政府，身為政治場域裡相互競爭也相互監督的政黨，國民黨似乎沒有搞清楚，不盡責釐清責任歸屬，這不是國民黨身為執政黨的泱泱大度，也不是什麼「停止惡鬥」的和諧示範，而是當盡之責未盡的失職失能。

一城一城的讓、一地一地的退，民進黨吃定國民黨的怯戰心態，反而更肆無忌憚地升高惡鬥。這正是國民黨在年底選戰幾陷於兵敗山倒處境的連鎖前因。但這連鎖前因，仍有機會以連鎖行動扭轉，關鍵就在，國民黨必須奮起戰鬥，這不是惡鬥，而是為台灣人民福祉，堅持到底的責任表現。

為理念戰鬥不是惡鬥，怯戰適足以鼓勵惡鬥。