Lai Ching-te Tore Up Tsai Ing-wen's "Unfinished Answer Sheet"

 Lai Ching-te Tore Up Tsai Ing-wen's "Unfinished Answer Sheet"

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

September 29, 2017

 Translation of an Excerpt

No sooner had Tsai Ying-wen just stressed at the DPP’s national party congress that the two sides of the Strait must adopt a new model for interactions and a new narrative than Lai Ching-te openly declared his Taiwan independence stance in the Legislative Yuan. Lai Ching-te’s statement exceeded Tsai Ing-wen's framework for cross-Strait policy and narrative; if Lai Ching-te was not “a little white rabbit venturing into the cross-Strait jungle,” then he was slapping Tsai Ying-wen in the face, usurping the President's cross-Strait functions and authority. Or was it that he thought that by doing so, he could gain points for Tsai Ying-wen? Or were Tsai Ying-wen and Lai Ching-te playing good cop, bad cop vis-à-vis the policy of "maintaining the status quo"? Or did Tsai Ying-wen want to rely on Lai Ching-te to firmly erect a new model for cross-Strait interactions?

On the political and social level, the fact that the Premier publicly advocated Taiwan independence would exacerbate the rupture of the social fabric in Taiwan. Recently, the talent show dubbed "China's New Singing Voice" on the campus of National Taiwan University erupted into a conflict in which a little blood was shed, reflecting the fact that the emotions of social anxiety under confrontation between pro-reunification and pro-independence factions has rapidly escalated. Lai Ching-te's expressed stance on Taiwan independence indeed helped to fan the flames of one side, it would, however, push the other side toward the radical direction. When pro-reunification and pro-independence factions find fault and seek physical confrontation with each other, how could Taiwan have days of peace?

On the level of constitutional government operations, Lai Ching-te's expressing his stance on Taiwan independence in the Legislative Yuan would also impact constitutional government order. In the division of constitutional government, Lai infringed on the President's cross-Strait authority and responsibility; in substantive content, he also exceeded the President's cross-Strait bottom line; and in the relationship between the Presidential Office and the Executive Yuan, he undermined the political ethics between a subordinate and his superior. When the Presidential Office and the Executive Yuan have divergences in the stance on cross-Strait policy, it would be awkward for the Presidential Office to either support or not support Taiwan independence; Lai Ching-te thus was indeed doing Tsai Ying-wen an injustice.

On the eve of her anniversary of assuming office on May 20^th, Tsai Ying-wen tossed out a new advocacy for cross-Strait interactions, i.e., "a new situation, new questionnaire and new model." Is Lai Ching-te really using "pragmatic Taiwan independence advocacy" to create a new cross-Strait situation and a new model for Tsai Ing-wen? Or is he tearing up the Mainland’s questionnaire?

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