We Do Not Fear the DPP Internecine Primary’s Fight, But Fear the Arrogance in its Abuse of Power

 We Do Not Fear the DPP Internecine Primary’s Fight, But Fear the Arrogance in its Abuse of Power

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

April 11, 2019

 Translation of an Excerpt

The tensions over the Tsai-Lai rivalry in the DPP’s presidential primary have escalated; the DPP originally expected to adopt a “Tsai-Lai ticket” to resolve the rumblings. However, the coordination efforts failed. The Central Executive Committee yesterday made a decision to “postpone the primary”; this was the DPP’s delaying tactic when it had no other way to go. During this period of internecine fight embroiling party and government entanglements, national governance has been left unattended and factions have been scrambling to loot resources amid chaos; this is what is most worrisome.

At the same time, the public have witnessed that Premier Su Tseng-chang and the "Cabinet of the defeated in elections" led by him endlessly extend their hands and feet, leaping over the Presidential Palace to delve into reassigning appointments in state-owned enterprises and state-owned banking institutions. Including at the ministerial level, in the personnel reassignments for administrative positions with faction hues and police administration have all accelerated during this internecine fight between Tsai and Lai. All these changes, as they are filled with an apparent sense of factions occupying the positions, have raised the eye brows of the public. Moreover, some personnel changes involved national defense scandals still under investigation; some involved highly professional administrative management, however, they all have been made, in a smoke and mirrors fashion, during the top-level internecine fight in the DPP party. These approaches could hardly avoid associations of "looting national resources", "attempting to cover up scandals" and even "political quid pro quo."

With regard to the feud between Tsai and Lai, what really worries the people is that those wielding power are now utilizing this chaotic situation to accelerate the looting of the nation’s positions and resources, even seizing the vacuum to pass legislation twisting Taiwan’s rule of law. The DPP Central Executive Committee yesterday decided to postpone the primary, denoting that the current chaotic phenomenon would continue, and possibly exacerbate it. The Tsai government now holds political power, but does it use the power for the benefit of the people? If the DPP treats today’s power without good faith, do the people still want to hand it political power for the next four years?

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