President Tsai: Learn from Ko Wen-je's Firmness and Flexibility

President Tsai: Learn from Ko Wen-je's Firmness and Flexibility 
China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC) 
A Translation 
August 24, 2016

Executive Summary: Ko's actions provoked  green camp accusations of "selling out", of "spinelessness", of "pandering to China [sic] and cozying up to Communists”. But ignore such emotional outbursts. Scrutinize Ko Wen-je's words. Not one of them was unreasonable. The key question is whether Tsai Ing-wen has the courage to defy green camp sentiment, speak from the heart, reason from the head, restore cross-Strait relations, and break the impass. Ko Wen-je is both firm and flexible. Tsai Ing-wen would do well to learn from his example.

Full Text Below:

Ko Wen-je is a self-proclaimed "deep green". Yet the green camp has accused him of being a "modern day Shi Lang" who aspires to be "Beijing's Governor General for Taiwan”. Taiwan independence groups heckle him wherever he goes. The green media mocks him as "a mere local official with embarrassingly low approval ratings”. Nevertheless Ko Wen-je has successfully renewed the Taipei Shanghai Twin Cities Forum.

Through her spokesman, Tsai Ing-wen wished Ko Wen-je well. The presidential spokesman said that exchanges between the two sides should increase. As long as exchanges increase mutual understanding, then exchanges, including city to city exchanges, are a good thing.

Some green camp people habitually denounce the Twin Cities Forum as “Communist”. Tsai Ing-wen, on the other hand, has expressed approval of the Twin Cities Forum. This highlights the difficulty Tsai Ing-wen faces when promoting cross-Strait relations. Resolving this difficulty is a test of Tsai Ing-wen's wisdom. Ko Wen-je's firmness and flexibility regarding the Twin Cities Forum shows that Tsai Ing-wen can learn from his example.

Green Camp condemnation is a problem not just for Tsai Ing-wen, but even for "deep green" Ko Wen-je. The ideological burden he must bear, is no less than that borne by Tsai Ing-wen. Ko Wen-je recently issued a series of cross-Strait policy statements. He made subtle revisions to the Twin Cities Forum. This invited another round of allegations that he was “soft on Communism”. Ko Wen-je now stands at a political crossroads. Which way will he go?

The Taipei Municipal Government has suffered a major setback. Ko Wen-je's governing ability is being questioned. He clearly realizes that cross-Strait relations offers him an opportunity to reverse his political fortunes. He wants the success of the Twins Cities Forum to show that some people in the green camp are able to deal with cross-Strait affairs. He wants to show that regular exchanges between Taipei and Shanghai need not be interrupted, merely because a new government has come to power.

What holds true for a city mayor, holds true for a national president. The Mayor of Taipei has a clear understanding of the importance of cross-Strait relations. Tsai Ing-wen should have an even clearer understanding. She should realize that the biggest obstacle she faces, and the chief reason her approval ratings are down, is cross-Strait policy. Unless cross-Strait relations are straightened out, Taiwan's economy will not improve. The economy is the first to feel the impact. The economy is the basis of public satisfaction. It is the fountainhead of the ruling regime's prestige.

The truth is simple. Taiwan has a trade-based economy. The more it merges with the world outside, the more vitality it acquires. The Mainland is one of the world's largest economic blocs. Can Taiwan's economy survive if this bloc is eliminated? Can internal order survive if Taiwan's economy collapses? Can Tsai Ing-wen survive politically if both the economy and internal order collapse?

Tsai Ing-wen's swift response to the China Airlines strike and the National Highway toll collectors strike shows how desperate she is to salvage her approval ratings. Leave aside for the moment the price she may pay in the long run. From a larger perspective, she is like a fly without a head, sacrificing long term interests to short term expediency. She is missing the forest for the trees. Former US President Bill Clinton summed up the fundamental principle of national governance in his campaign slogan: "It's the economy, stupid!"

For Taiwan, the two sides of the Strait are the cornerstone of the economy. Apply Clinton's campaign slogan to Taiwan, and it becomes, "It's cross-Strait relations, stupid!"

Cooperation with the Mainland is essential to Taiwan's survival and growth. It affects the complex East Asian strategic picture, and the ROC's diplomatic space. Many non-economic issues stand in the way of cross-Strait relations. Tsai Ing-wen has created an impasse in cross-Strait relations by refusing to recognize the 1992 Consensus. She stubbornly insists that her "inaugural address has already demonstrated the utmost in goodwill toward Beijing". She has throws her hands up in feigned indignation. Her passive aggressive approach will kill cross-Strait exchanges. It will lead Taiwan down a blind alley, and can only be characterized as irresponsible. Ko Wen-je realizes the importance of cross-Strait relations for his political ambitions. But he has also done his homework. He expended the necessary effort, and assumed the necessary humility.

The Mainland was initially no less skeptical of the "deep green” Ko Wen-je than it was of Tsai Ing-wen. But Ko Wen-je's continued efforts on behalf of the Twin Cities Forum prevented the interruption of official exchanges. A series of statements sympathetic to Mainland compatriots, along with changes in his attitude made a dramatic difference. Ko Wen-je did not hesitate to proclaim himself "Chinese".  He boldly echoed Xi Jinping's declaration that "Both sides of the Strait belong to one family". He publicly affirmed the Mainland for ensuring that everyone had enough to eat, a rare feat in China' history. also spoke of "four mutuals" and a "2015 New Perspective". His pronouncements were constructive and low keyed. He succeeded in maintaining uninterrupted communication between the Twin Cities. The Shanghai representative refrained from embarrassing Ko Wen-je over the 1992 Consensus at the Shanghai Twin Cities Forum. This too was a gesture of good faith.

Ko's actions provoked  green camp accusations of "selling out", of "spinelessness", of "pandering to China [sic] and cozying up to Communists”. But ignore such emotional outbursts. Scrutinize Ko Wen-je's words. Not one of them was unreasonable. The key question is whether Tsai Ing-wen has the courage to defy green camp sentiment, speak from the heart, reason from the head, restore cross-Strait relations, and break the impass.

Ko Wen-je is both firm and flexible. Tsai Ing-wen would do well to learn from his example.

柯文哲的堅定與彈性 蔡總統學學
2016/8/24 中國時報

自稱「墨綠」的柯文哲，頂著綠營人士扣上的「現代施琅」、「搶當台灣特首」紅帽子，不在乎獨派團體「如影隨形抗議」的威脅，及親綠媒體「區區一個地方官、民調數字又難看」的嘲弄，柯文哲還是成功地續辦了台北、上海雙城論壇。

倒是蔡英文透過發言人表達了祝福，總統府發言人表示，兩岸之間應該多交流，只要有助增進雙方互相了解，包括城市交流在內，都是好事。

一些綠營人士習慣性對雙城論壇扣紅帽，和蔡英文對雙城論壇釋出的柔軟善意，兩者間的矛盾正凸顯蔡英文推動兩岸事務的難處。這「難處」要如何化解，也正考驗蔡英文智慧，而柯文哲推動雙城論壇所展現的堅定態度與彈性思維，正是蔡英文可以借鑑參考的。

綠營人士的攻詰，這個難處，不是只有蔡英文有，自況「墨綠」的柯文哲，其意識型態的光譜包袱並不比蔡英文輕。柯文哲近來一系列兩岸政策的發言，以及為促成雙城論壇的柔軟修正，都招來了昔日盟友一頂又一頂的紅帽，成為柯文哲政治十字路口上的另類「紅綠燈」。但柯文哲又是如何看待這盞紅綠燈呢？

首先，在台北市政遭到重大挫敗、市政能力備受質疑的柯文哲，顯然知道，兩岸議題對他而言是敗部復活的契機，他要讓雙城論壇順利舉行，以凸顯他在綠營中擁有人所不及的兩岸事務處理能力，讓上海台北的定期交流不會因為新政府上台而中斷。

舉輕明重，如果不是兩岸事務主管首長的台北市長都對兩岸關係的重要性有此清楚認知，蔡英文就更該知道，她治理國政的最大死角、民調重挫的核心原因就是兩岸。兩岸關係不理順，台灣的發展就沒有樂觀空間，直接衝擊的就是經濟，而經濟為人民滿意之本，也是執政者累積民信威望的源水流泉。

這道理很簡單，台灣是外貿導向的經濟體，與世界愈融，則台灣的活力積木堆得愈高，中國大陸是世界經濟體中極大的積木，台灣把這塊積木拿掉，經濟能不垮嗎？經濟垮了，內政又焉能不垮？經濟、內政都垮了，蔡英文陷入死亡交叉的民調如何振起？

從華航、國道收費員等議題的「快刀」，都可以看到蔡團隊「搶救民調大兵」的急切，先不說這中間諸多討好式的速斷，可能會留下的後遺症，從治國大方略來看，也可以說是無頭蒼蠅式的捨近求遠、捨本逐末。因為，治國的道理就是美國前總統柯林頓那句競選名言：「笨蛋，問題在經濟！」

在台灣，兩岸是經濟之本，所以這句柯林頓的競選名言在台灣的實踐，又可以變成：「笨蛋，問題在兩岸！」

和中國大陸合作，是台灣生存發展的絕對必要，更不要說，還牽涉到複雜的東亞戰略、台灣的外交空間，以及諸多經濟以外、卻可能卡住台灣的兩岸事務。蔡英文身為國家元首，對於因九二共識僵局而卡死的兩岸關係，繼續堅持「就職演說已對北京釋出最大善意」，然後兩手一攤，以悉聽尊便的消極強硬任由兩岸關係崩盤、台灣陷入困境，可謂不負責任、失職。其次，柯文哲雖認知兩岸關係對他政治布局的重要，但他也確實在兩岸問題上做足功課、花足功夫、降足身段。

嚴格說來，陸方原來對「墨綠柯文哲」的疑慮，並不亞於蔡英文，但雙城論壇仍能在柯文哲的努力下，不致隨其他官方交流的中斷而停擺，柯文哲一連串對陸友善與同理心的發言和態度調整，當然有極大關係。柯文哲不避諱自稱「中國人」，大方呼應習近平的「兩岸一家親」，公道肯定今天中國大陸做到「人人有飯吃」在歷史上很不容易，加上「四個互相」、「一五新觀點」的建設性柔軟，終能維持雙城的交流不致中斷。同時，上海代表沙海林在雙城論壇也沒有以「九二共識」為難柯文哲，這就是一種善意的努力。

雖然，這些也招致綠營「背叛」、「軟骨」、「傾中媚共」的質疑。但排除這些情緒性扣帽，詳觀細究柯文哲上開發言，無一不入情理。關鍵是，蔡英文願不願不憚於綠營民粹，說出具同理心、合情合理之言，為重建兩岸關係，找出一條突圍之道？

從決心到做法，柯文哲的堅定與彈性，蔡英文應該參考。