Tsai Ing-wen: From Anti-Business to Anti-Labor?

Tsai Ing-wen: From Anti-Business to Anti-Labor?
United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
May 15, 2015

Executive Summary: The DPP has never been a leftist political party. During Chen Shui-bian's eight years in power, it swiftly cozied up to Big Business. It was even worse than the Kuomintang. Therefore the anti-business image of the DPP is mere appearance. From this perspective, Tsai Ing-wen's remark "Taiwan has too many holidays” was no surprise. To be a competent national leader, Tsai Ing-wen must resolve the contradiction between paying lip service and speaking from the heart. She cannot continue using ambiguity to avoid taking a stand, and citing “verbal gaffes” to evade responsibility.

Full Text Below:

Tsai Ing-wen recently launched a traveling lecture series in the business community, in an attempt to clean up the DPP's anti-business image, and to gain the trust of the business community. To everyone's surprise, while addressing industrialists in the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park, she said, "To be honest, I think Taiwan has too many holidays!" Her comment caused an uproar, and provoked labor groups to blast her. Tsai Ing-wen immediately went on Facebook and apologized.

Let us return to that day. When Tsai Ing-wen made that comment, she was responding to industry-related work hours and vacations. Industrialists object to the draft amendments to the Labor Standards Law adopted by the legislature on first reading. Work hours were reduced to 40 hours a week. She blamed her political opponents, saying "That was something the KMT advanced on its own", implying that she disagreed with the reduction in working hours. She then said unequivocally, "Taiwan has too many holidays." Tsai Ing-wen said the DPP actually has a "more flexible plan”, and that she had no idea how the Kuomintang draft law got passed.

The Japanese distinguish between "jian qian”, or “paying lip service”, and “ben ying”, or “speaking from the heart”. Tsai Ing-wen told industrialists “Taiwan has too many holidays”. Was she paying lip service or speaking from the heart? Was she speaking from the heart, or making a verbal gaffe? If she was speaking from the heart, why did she apologize?

These are questions even Tsai Ing-wen cannot answer. In Tsai Ing-wen's heart of hearts, she probably does think Taiwan has too many holidays. Otherwise she would not have blurted it out so readily. She even prefaced her remark with “To be honest." Those seated opposite her were heads of small and medium enterprises. She was clearly “feeling them”. Of course, if Tsai Ing-wen had been visiting a labor group, such words would never come from her mouth. We must conclude that Tsai Ing-wen "let slip her true feelings". When cozying up to management, she really has no time for labor.

Tsai Ing-wen attempted to clean up the green camp's anti-business image. But while doing so, she fell into an anti-labor trap. This trap was of the DPP's own making. The DPP has habitually polarized every debate on public issues. Any proposals that deviate from their own, are demonized. Therefore when they seek the labor and environmental vote, they demonize business owners. When they obstruct cross-strait relations, they denounce Taiwan businessmen and the blue camp, calling them “Communist sympathizers”. When they incite young people to take to the streets, they repudiate the contribution of past generations. This is the political atmosphere the public is immersed in on Taiwan. Naturally any compromise is difficult. Naturally the public uses this simplistic dichotomy to evaluate politicians.

Taiwan politicians are long on lip service and short on speaking from the heart. In this, Tsai Ing-wen ranks among the best. For the longest time, Tsai Ing-wen has never remained fuzzy on specific issues. She speaks in vague terms to conceal her inner thoughts. For example, during the previous election she used the catchphrases "peace despite differences" and "peace to diminish differences" to duck the 1992 consensus. This time, she is using "maintaining the status quo". On the one hand, she denounces the Ma government's cross-Strait policy. On the other hand, she stresses that if elected, she would unconditionally continue the Ma government's ECFA agreement, flagrantly ignoring the glaring self-contradiction.

Recently, Tsai Ing-wen has brimmed over with confidence about the 2016 election. She has visited major industry and business tycoons, as well as small and medium enterprise owners. Nominally, she was "seeking advice". In fact she was seeking political support. She was attempting to win over the business community. Why did she call on the business community first? Why did she not call on labor or activist groups first, and ingratiate herself with them? We know the answer without asking. The sequence reflects her priorities. The former are those she most wants to cozy up to. Lest we forget, back in 2102 Tsai Ing-wen said Big Business supports the 1992 consensus. That means "the KMT and Big Business stand together". If this logic holds, and she is now “seeking advice” from Big Business, then who stands with whom?

What we want to know is not whether Tsai Ing-wen in her heart of hearts is "anti-business" or “anti-labor”. Our concern is that she and the DPP have no comprehensive, non-contradictory strategy to govern the nation. All she does, day after day, is spout empty rhetoric and make feel-good gestures. Once in power she will no longer be able to flip-flop from day to day, without any clue where she wants to go. Tsai Ing-wen may appear confident and poised when speaking. But just how much true faith does she have? Just how much does she really want to help Taiwan? Does she cares only about becoming president, and the DPP wielding full power?

The DPP has never been a leftist political party. During Chen Shui-bian's eight years in power, it swiftly cozied up to Big Business. It was even worse than the Kuomintang. Therefore the anti-business image of the DPP is mere appearance. From this perspective, Tsai Ing-wen's remark "Taiwan has too many holidays” was no surprise. To be a competent national leader, Tsai Ing-wen must resolve the contradiction between paying lip service and speaking from the heart. She cannot continue using ambiguity to avoid taking a stand, and citing “verbal gaffes” to evade responsibility.

蔡英文從「反商」到「反勞」？
2015-05-15 聯合報

蔡英文最近展開一連串拜會工商界人士的行程，試圖洗刷民進黨的「反商」形象，爭取企業界的信任。不料，她在彰濱工業區與廠商座談時，竟信口說出：「老實講，我真的也覺得台灣的假休太多了！」此話一出，外界譁然，更引起勞工團體痛批，蔡英文隨即在臉書上致歉。

還原當天的現場，蔡英文是在回應廠商有關工時與休假問題時，發表了上述的談話。對於廠商抱怨立法院一審通過《勞基法》修正草案，把勞工每周工時降低為四十小時，她把責任推給對手說：「那都是國民黨自己提出來的」，言下對縮減工時並不苟同，因而表明她覺得「假休太多」。蔡英文並說，民進黨其實有一個「更彈性」的備案，卻不知道為什麼，國民黨的草案就這樣通過了。

在日語的表達當中，有所謂的「建前」（場面話）與「本音」（真心話）之別，那麼，蔡英文在廠商面前說出「假放太多」，究竟是她的「建前」，或是「本音」呢？她是「真心話」，還是「失言」？而如果是「老實講」，為什麼還要道歉？

這些問題，恐怕連蔡英文自己也無法回答。在蔡英文心裡，她應是確實覺得台灣的假放得太多，否則不會如此輕易脫口而出，還加上一句「老實講」。尤其，坐在自己對面的，又是各種類型的中小企業廠商，這麼說一定最能和他們「博感情」。當然，如果蔡英文見的是勞工團體，這種話絕對不會從她嘴裡出來。因此，我們只能說，這恐怕是蔡英文「真心的失言」：當她急於拉攏資方時，她的心裡真的沒空想到勞工。

蔡英文為了洗刷綠營「反商」形象，卻跌入「反勞」的坑洞，這個陷阱，其實正是民進黨自己挖掘的。民進黨長期以來喜歡用「兩極化」的觀點談論公共事務：凡是與自己的主張不同的，便指為邪惡；於是在爭取勞工及環保選票時，便極力醜化企業經營者；在杯葛兩岸議題時，就給台商和藍軍扣上紅帽子；在鼓動年輕人上街時，就把上一代人的努力全部抹殺。台灣民眾在這種政治氛圍浸淫下，當然很難有折衷觀點，也學會用這種「二分法」看待政治人物。

台灣的政治人物，向來多「建前」而少「本音」，蔡英文也是其中佼佼者。長期以來，蔡英文對於特定政策從不輕易表示明確態度，時常以籠統、模糊的詞彙，來隱藏她內心真正的想法。例如，她在上次大選以「和而不同」、「和而求同」來規避「九二共識」，這次則以「維持現狀」一語帶過；在操作上，她一方面反對馬政府的兩岸政策，一方面又強調要概括承受馬政府所簽署的ＥＣＦＡ協議，矛盾而不自以為兀。

最近，蔡英文對於二○一六選情自信滿滿，因而大舉拜會工商大老及中小企業主，名為「請益」，實則為表現她對企業界的親善。她為何選擇先從拜訪企業界下手，而不是先向勞工或社運團體交心，我們不得而知；但這樣的次序，顯然反映了她的選擇與價值，覺得前者是她首先要拉攏的對象。若不健忘，人們應記得二○一二年蔡英文說過：大財團挺九二共識，所以代表「國民黨與大財團站在一起」；如果這樣的邏輯成立，她今天進行的企業請益之旅，又是跟誰站在一起？

我們想要探究的，並非蔡英文是不是「反商」，或者她骨子裡有多少「反勞」成分。我們關心的，是她和民進黨有沒有一套比較完整、而不自相矛盾的治國方略，而不是天天在那裡努力把空話說得漂亮，把姿態擺得八面玲瓏卻模糊曖昧；而一旦執政，卻可能忽東忽西搖擺，不知道自己要往哪裡去。我們同樣關心的，是在蔡英文貌似自信而優雅的談吐中，究竟含有多少真實的信念，想要把台灣帶到更好的境界；或者，她關心的只是自己能不能坐上總統大位，民進黨能不能全面掌權？

民進黨從來不是一個左派政黨，在陳水扁執政的八年，它迅速和各路財團建立了緊密的關係，比國民黨猶有過之。因此，民進黨的「反商」形象，其實只是表面；從這個角度看，蔡英文會說「假休太多」，並不意外。問題在，要當一個稱職的國家領導人，蔡英文必須學會解決自己「建前」和「本音」的矛盾，不要老是用模糊策略來迴避立場，老是用「失言」來逃避責任。