President Ma Wins ECFA Debate, But Chairwoman Tsai Consolidates Her Position

A Commentary

President Ma Wins ECFA Debate, But Chairwoman Tsai Consolidates Her Position

Source: United Daily News     April 27, 2010

   (Loh I-cheng, Retired Ambassador)

Last Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., many people in Taiwan turned on their TV sets to watch the ECFA debate between President Ma Ying-jeou and DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen. The host of the debate had laid down strict rules for the debate, one of which was that no one in the audience, including the high-profile figures from both parties, was allowed to applaud during the debate. No one broke the rule until the end of the debate, which lasted 150 minutes. After watching the debate, I felt so proud because it showed that Taiwan had proven itself to be a place of progress and civilization.  

During the debate, DPP Chairwoman Tsai fully demonstrated her knowledge, accomplishments, and eloquence. No other high-ranking DPP members could match her. No one in the DPP was more qualified than Chairwoman Tsai to stand on the podium for the debate. That she lost the debate should be attributed to the poor performance of the DPP legislators in the Legislative Yuan. During the debate, President Ma cited many examples to demonstrate that the DPP legislators had either boycotted the ECFA discussions in legislative committee meetings, or resorted to violence against the committee chairperson. Even for an eloquent person, it was difficult to justify such behavior and argue against President Ma’s accusations in this regard.  

DPP Chairwoman Tsai has two burdens that are difficult for her to unload. One is the DPP’s closed-door policy adopted by former President Chen Shui-bian under his eight-year rule. The other is the attitude adopted by the DPP legislators who refused to talk with the ruling party on ECFA matters in the Legislative Yuan. In the first-round of cross-examinations, President Ma gave examples of how the DPP distorted his words on ECFA issues in their propaganda. President Ma asked Chairwoman Tsai, “Are any Mainlanders allowed to sit for C.P.A. or bar exams?” “What is the evidence that 3.21 million white-collar workers will lose their jobs after signing a cross-Strait ECFA?” “Why did the number 3.21 million suddenly turn into 5.9 million?”   

Chairwoman Tsai could only dodge these embarrassing questions and did not give any straight answers. In the second stage of the debate, the pattern was the same. During the debate, President Ma was eloquent and was able to cite detailed ECFA data thanks to the favorable position enjoyed by the ruling party, while Chairwoman Tsai could only show the statistics she obtained from the Bureau of Foreign Trade. In addition to tariff reductions, President Ma stressed that a cross-Strait ECFA also covered investment guarantees and intellectual property rights. This was something that Chairwoman Tsai was unable to retort during the debate.

However, some ideas that Chairwoman Tsai brought up during the debate were worth further consideration. For example, in terms of ASEAN+ 1, she pointed out that the focus was on ASEAN nations and that Taiwan’s competitors in the Mainland markets were Japan and South Korea. President Ma pointed out that more than 900 items of Mainland agricultural products were allowed to enter into Taiwan’s markets when Tsai served as Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman and later as Vice Premier under the DPP administration; President Ma’s left-handed compliment really embarrassed Tsai.    

Generally speaking, although President Ma is believed to have won the debate, Chairwoman Tsai should also earn some credit for her performance. As a result of the debate, she consolidated her position within the party as her performance has earned her more support within the party. In addition, her performance has also impressed those who haven’t taken a stance on the issue. As an old Chinese proverb goes “lose at sunrise and gain at sunset,” Chairwoman Tsai can look at herself in the mirror with pride.

Attachment : none