Let’s Talk about “Trademark Patent on Taiwan Values" with President Tsai

 Let’s Talk about “Trademark Patent on Taiwan Values" with President Tsai

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

January 25, 2018

 Translation of an Excerpt

Whether the DPP is going to continue its cooperation with Ko Wen-je, divergent opinions exist within the party, eliciting at the same time a dispute about "Taiwan values." President Tsai said that Ko Wen-je must reconfirm once again "Taiwan values," so that DPP supporters could feel that he was a person that they could fight alongside of. Ko Wen-je, however, said that it was useless to air "high-sounding rhetoric," he would like to know what were Tsai Ing-wen’s Taiwan values. Tsai Ing-wen tossed out a multiple-choice question, while Ko Wen-je returned to her an essay question. The true answer, in fact, is not in either of their hands.

The "Taiwan values" defined by Tsai Ing-wen here is in fact very narrow. Without saying, she implies that Ko Wen-je's advocacy of "both sides of the Strait are one family" does not conform with the tastes of DPP supporters. For this reason, she wants Ko Wen-je to reconfirm "Taiwan values" on the "anti-China" position, so that the DPP can continue to cooperate with him. Ko Wen-je, however, says that Taiwan's freedom, democracy, pluralism and openness are the Taiwan values at the current stage, while the rule of law, human rights, environmental protection, etc. still need to be improved. In contrast, Tsai Ing-wen has narrowed Taiwan values into an "anti-China" nativism. Ko Wen-je, however, defines it as universal values ​​such as freedom, democracy, plurality and openness. The latter's vista is clearly one notch higher.

Reviewing the DPP's past narratives, they have always talked aloud about "nativism first," but seldom called it "Taiwan values." In 2015, when running for president, Tsai Ing-wen paid a visit to the Taiwanese community in New York. For the first time, Tsai Ing-wen claimed that "pluralism is precisely Taiwan values." During her inaugural address in 2016, she enumerated Taiwan values as pluralism, equality, openness, transparency, and human rights. In contrast, if for her only the very loose foundation of "anti-China" is left of her “Taiwan values,” then Tsai's pursuit has seriously degenerated. Going to the bottom, is it true that, because of a series of setbacks in governance, President Tsai has lowered her idealism and vista, and is willing to shrink her own ambition?

Tsai Ing-wen's poll ratings are not enough to underpin her vision and outlook; hence, her "Taiwan values" have also been dwarfed. Fed up with the DPP’s monopoly of narratives on Taiwan, the public should withdraw this trademark patent!

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