The DPP's Twin Crises: Ideological and Moral

The DPP's Twin Crises: Ideological and Moral
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
April 30, 2013

Summary: The DPP does not think about how to serve the nation and the people. It does not think about how to reform the party constitution to enhance its competitiveness. It does not think about how to improve its performance in the legislature. Instead its leaders rack their brains thinking up ways to do in their rivals, how to use underworld forces to expand their own power base. The party's ideological and moral values have declined. Now all that's left is for the tail to wag the dog.

Full Text below:

Rumors that "Triad members are joining the DPP" have created a uproar. Younger generation party members have issued frequent warnings. Tsai Ing-wen has sternly called for party disciplinary action. Su Tseng-chang has belatedly announced that those applying for party membership will be subject to "substantive examinations" and not merely "written reviews." He hopes the "triad taint" tempest will quickly blow over.

In 2008, the DPP lost power. Chen Shui-bian and his family were indicted for corruption. The party's image suffered a major blow. For years the party was unable to recruit new members. Between January and April of this year however, nearly 31,000 new people applied for party membership. This amounts to 13% of the existing membership. Such a large fluctuation extremely unusual. Rumor has it the real rush to join the party took place in May. Many are triad members. Many others are shady individuals involved in the "ba da hang ye" (Eight Big Businesses). These include nightclubs, massage parlors, saunas, dance halls, and bars). One Taiwanese businessman in Taichung personally introduced more than 3,000 people to the party. DPP legislative caucus chief Ker Chien-ming personally introduced 2,000. As we can see, this wave of party applications was hardly spontaneous.

Leave aside the problem of shady characters and machine voters for the moment. Three political factors account for the current wave of membership applications. One. The party chairmanship election is scheduled for May of next year. Candidates are deploying their troops in advance. Two. Newer party officials are running for office in the five cities elections and local county and municipal council elections. They are engaged in major mobilization at the grassroots level. Three. In preparation for the 2016 presidential election party primaries, candidates are making preparations for cut-throat competition. Consider the practical implementation. Many in the DPP think Ker Chien-ming's troops are helping Su Tseng-chang squeeze out Tsai YIng-wen. As a result, the Tsai Ing-wen camp is particularly indignant about this development.

Put simply, Green Camp faction leaders are eager to increase the number of their supporters. The main motivation is the demands of internecine struggle. Under the circumstances, Su Tseng-chang was forced to change direction. He even muttered, "The KMT must not be allowed to corrupt the DPP." He tried to blame the Blue Camp for the DPP's own problems. This came across as less than honorable. As party chairman, he must preside impartially over the party. If all he thinks about is personal power, how can he lead the party down the correct path?

It has been over twenty years since Taiwan democratized. The early patriarchs who founded the DPP have died or retired. The DPP has become a worldly and cynical political party. During its early years, the party opposed authoritarianism and championed reform. But it marched down the blind alley of Taiwan independence. It occupied the Presidential Office for eight years, butting its head against the wall. The DPP has constantly changed direction. Can it attract a different class of people? Will different sectors of society consider joining the party? If the answer to these questions is yes, the DPP may attract wider support. The party may be able to revise its constitution and direction. It may become a more broad-minded political party. It all depends on the Green Camp leaders. Are they merely engaging in self-aggrandizement? Are they artificially introducing large numbers of people of questionable backgrounds? If the answer to these questions is yes, they will merely alienate decent people. The public will not approve.

The DPP has long been wracked by factional rivalry. But at least in the past the competition was over poltical paths and moral values. Today's scenario is reminiscent of a cattle auction. It is both cheap and crude. In a few short months the party has gained tens of thousands of new members, all at the beck and call of specific individuals. If the sole purpose is to enable certain individuals to consolidate their power, fine. But the phenomenon affects the entire Democratic Progressive Party. It endangers the prospects of the party's future presidential candidates. Is the prospect not chilling? Assume for a moment the rumors are true. Large numbers of people have applied for party membership. These are not the usual machine voters who vote as they are told. These are shady underworld and "ba da hang ye" characters. Is the DPP determined to invite this trouble into their own home? Is it determined to welcome black gold into the party's body politic?

Recently several Green Camp academics issued a proclamation. They said the public no longer supports the DPP's Taiwan independence ideology, therefore it must seek breakthroughs. Taiwan independence no longer has a market. But the Democratic Progressive Party's plight goes beyond that. Politically Taiwan independence is box office poison. Its proponents lack expert knowledge on public issues. They are incapable of taking advantage of the Ma administration's low poll numbers. They are incapable of overcoming peoples' reservations about supporting the DPP. Worst of all, this cynical political party is now taking in underworld party members -- even as it postures as a holier-than-thou reform party. As everyone knows, the outside of the DPP bears no resemblance whatsoever to its inside. One wonders where it will all end.

This "tail wagging the dog" phenomenon is a vivid example. The DPP does not think about how to serve the nation and the people. It does not think about how to reform the party constitution to enhance its competitiveness. It does not think about how to improve its performance in the legislature. Instead its leaders rack their brains thinking up ways to do in their rivals, how to use underworld forces to expand their own power base. The party's ideological and moral values have declined. Now all that's left is for the tail to wag the dog.

民進黨面臨意識形態與道德雙失危境
【聯合報╱社論】
2013.04.30 02:02 am

民進黨「黑道入黨」之傳聞沸沸揚揚，在黨內青壯派頻頻公開示警下，加上蔡英文嚴詞要求黨中央專案處理，蘇貞昌終於宣布入黨申請將由「書面審查」改為「實質審查」，期為「染黑」風暴止血。

二○○八年民進黨失去政權加上扁家涉貪，道德形象大傷，吸收黨員的能力陷入多年的低潮。然而，今年一至四月，新申請入黨者高達三萬一千人，占民進黨現有黨員數的一成三，不能不說是極異常的波動。據稱，真正的入黨高峰將在五月湧現，其中除夾雜不少具黑幫或八大行業背景的分子，台中某台商即隻手介紹了三千多人入黨，立院總召柯建銘擔任介紹人的也有兩千多件。可見，這波入黨潮充滿人為的操作。

先撇開「黑影幢幢」和「人頭黨員」的問題不談，從政治面看，這波詭異洶湧的入黨潮背後主要原因有三：第一，是黨內派系為了明年五月的黨主席選舉，預為部署卡位籌碼；第二，是黨內新人為求角逐五都及地方議員以晉身政壇，在基層大肆翻土動員；第三，是為二○一六總統大選的黨內初選，各自預備割喉糧草。從實際運作觀察，民進黨內多認為這是柯建銘人馬在幫蘇貞昌「卡蔡」；也因此，蔡英文陣營對此格外顯得義憤難填。

簡單說，綠營派系實力人物爭相擴大招攬人馬，主要動機其實是為了「內部鬥爭」的需要。在這種情況下，蘇貞昌在迫於形勢不得不轉彎之際，還撂下一句「國民黨肖想染黑民進黨」，意圖將自己的問題嫁禍於藍營，也就顯得太不磊落。身為主席，若無法秉公主持黨務，一心盤算個人權位，如何帶領黨走向正確的發展道路？

在台灣民主化廿多年後，當早年的創黨元老或是凋零或是退出，民進黨其實也在不知不覺間變成了一個很世俗化的政黨。從早年的反威權與訴求改革，到走進台獨的窄巷，到八年執政的受挫，民進黨的發展方向都在不斷調整。今天，若是能夠吸引不同階層、不同行業的民眾入黨，也許有助於民進黨更廣泛吸納多元民意，從而調整黨的體質和走向，成為一個思維基礎更寬闊的政黨。然而，若只是綠營特定人物為了壯大自己勢力，以高度人工操縱的手法引進大批非出自正當行業的人物；這不僅黨內正派人士覺得偏離正道，社會各界也感到難以苟同。

民進黨派系之爭存在已久，但過去至少是在路線或價值上彼此競逐高下；今天的景象，卻是像賣豬仔一樣的整批人頭呼來喝去，不僅廉價，而且粗暴。試想，短短數月即湧入數萬新黨員，供特定人士指揮調度，若為的只是若干野心人士對議員寶座的企圖倒也罷了，事實上卻影響整個民進黨的體質，危及未來總統候選人的產生，怎不令人不寒而慄？更何況，若傳言屬實，新近大批申請入黨的，並非只是傳統所謂甘於聽命投票的「人頭黨員」，而是牽涉地方各種不法利益的黑道及八大行業經營者；那麼，難道民進黨要公開引狼入室，將黑金迎入黨的體制嗎？

最近一批傾綠學者發表宣言，認為民進黨主張台獨的意識形態路線已失去主流市場，必須尋求新的突破。事實上，民進黨的困境不只是台獨失去了市場，它在政治作為上的消極，在公共議題上的專業見識不足，都是它無法趁馬政府的低民調重新攫取人心的重要障礙。最糟的是，這個世俗政黨一邊濫收黑道黨員，一邊還擺出一副革命政黨的神聖姿態，殊不知，其表裡已經完全無法如一，簡直不知伊於胡底。

所謂「尾巴搖狗」，這就是一個活生生的例子。民進黨不思考如何福國利民之計，不思考如何改善政黨體質和戰鬥力，不思考調整問政大戰略，卻在那裡挖空心思想著如何對付自家人、如何利用黑道勢力來壯大自己。一旦意識形態和道德價值雙雙淪落，那就等著被尾巴帶著走吧！