Taiwanese Democracy

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂)

The Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and the area surrounding it is one of the most prominent landmarks in Taiwan and is also one of the most popular destinations for tourists visiting Taipei with thousands of people showing up each day.

While the grandiose monument to former President Chiang Kai-Shek (蔣介石) is a popular tourist attraction, the Hall itself serves as a sore spot for the people of Taiwan who suffered under the leadership of President Chiang and the period of the martial law he imposed for almost four decades and the period of 'White Terror' he inflicted upon the citizens of Taiwan.

While I aim to describe this tourist landmark in the most positive light possible, I won't be glossing over the dark history and I hope that this blog post helps people to understand that the there is a very difficult and sad history that goes along with this memorial.

I hope that I can offer a balanced explanation of this beautiful landmark while also explaining the history of the park and Chiang Kai Shek's legacy in Taiwan.

History

President Chiang Kai-Shek died on April 5th, 1975 at the ripe old age of 89. The dying wish of the president was that his body be interned at his retreat in Daxi (大溪) until such a time that Republic of China forces could take back the mainland by force. The irony being that even in 1975, the reality of such a thing ever happening was an impossibility. 

Due to Chiang's wishes to return to his homeland, his body was not prepared in traditional Chinese fashion and was thus placed in a black marble sarcophagus which was meant to preserve his body until it could be properly buried in his hometown in China. After lying in state for over forty years, it seems that Taiwan will ultimately be the final resting place of the former dictator.

Since his death, the people of Taiwan people have forged ahead with their own national identity and have pushed for reform while the party he and his family controlled for so long has lost favour with the people and has ultimately started to grovel at the feet of the Communist Party in China. 

What Chiang was unable to foresee before his death was that Taiwan would develop into a thriving multi-party democracy. The peace-loving people in the country completely disregarded his dream of 'taking back' China from the Communists and forged ahead with mass development, transforming the tiny island of Taiwan into one of the most advanced nations in the world with a population that freely exercises its right to free speech and liberty.

Part of those changes (to put it simply) was to deal responsibly with Chiang's legacy and the horrendous crimes committed by his government against the Taiwanese people. Today, the people of Taiwan still don't have the full story of what happened during that era but Chiang's victims will ultimately have their stories told with the governments efforts to bring about transitional justice.

After Chiang's death, the government established a funeral committee that would be tasked with building a grand memorial to their ideological figurehead. A contest was held asking for submissions with a design by famed architect Yang Cho-Cheng (楊卓成) winning the rights to construct the memorial.

Yang Cho-Cheng was a master of Chinese-styled architecture with a career that spanned over six decades. Yang held favour with the KMT which in turn gave him the opportunity to design many of Taipei's landmark buildings which include Taipei's Grand Hotel (圓山大飯店), the National Palace Theatre and Concert Hall, the Shilin Official Residence (士林官邸), the Cihu Mausoleum (慈湖陵寢) and the Central Bank building (中央銀行) among others.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Memorial Hall took place on October 31st, 1976 (coinciding with the 90th anniversary of Chiang's birth) and was officially opened a little over three years later on the fifth anniversary of Chiang's death.

The Memorial Park covers an area of over 240,000 square meters in Taipei's Zhengzheng District (中正區) which shares a home with the Presidential Palace (總統府) and most branches of the government and banks. Looking at the cramped city of Taipei today you might wonder how so much land was appropriated for the memorial park - The simple answer to that question is that the area where the park was built was once a military base during the Japanese Colonial era and was filled with squatters when the KMT retreated to Taiwan. The squatters were ultimately relocated and the land was re-zoned to make way for the park. 

The expansive park consists of three large buildings: the Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂), The National Theatre (國家戲劇院) and the National Concert Hall (國家音樂廳). With the main archway, two side gates, Democracy Square (民主廣場), Democracy Boulevard (民主大道) and a beautiful forested park and walls along the perimeter.

A recent protest outside of the Memorial Hall

In a move that would likely have Chiang turning in his grave, the Memorial Park constructed in his honour has since become the site of choice for many of Taiwan's modern mass protest movements. These mass movements which notably includes the Wild Lily Student Movement (野百合學運) whose efforts ultimately ushered Taiwan into its current democratic era and changed the political landscape of this country!

Today the Memorial Hall continues to be a popular venue for protest movements, but it has also become a popular tourist attraction and the site of carnival-like events. A visit to the park is a must on most tourists itineraries when they visit Taiwan as it shows off some of the best of Taiwan's architecture and traditional design.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂)

The grandiose Memorial Hall which sits at the back part of the Memorial Park is probably the main reason people visit the area. The three story hall is said to express the 'spirit of Chinese culture' and is built on strong foundations which symbolize "Zhong Zheng" (中正) which was Chiang Kai-Shek's adopted name and also means "impartial" and "righteous".

 If you care to read more about the 'symbolic' nature of the Memorial Hall and the ways it (apparently) represents Chiang Kai Shek's character, check out the official site which goes into greater detail - Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall Website

The Memorial hall is white, has four sides and was constructed using Taiwanese marble. The roof is blue (representing the colour of his party and *cough* "freedom") and is in the shape of an octagon. In Asia, the number eight is an auspicious one that is associated with abundance and good fortune. The roof apparently is shaped in such a way though that each of the sides of the octagon forms the word for "people" (人) which was to symbolize that Chiang was a man of the people.

Leading up to the Memorial Hall there are two sets of stairs, each with 89 steps which represent each year of the dictators life. Between the staircases is a mural made of marble with the star of the Republic of China and the logo of the Kuomintang. 

Most people don't actually realize that the ground entrance to the Memorial Hall, which is off to right side of the stairs is the entrance to an exhibition hall which documents important parts of Chiang's life and some of his accomplishments in Taiwan. There are also artifacts left by the former presidents estate which include his Cadillacs, uniforms, calligraphy, etc.

After walking up the stairs to the main entrance to the hall, you are met with an impressive doorway that brings you into the large shrine room where you'll come face to face with a large bronze statue of the man himself. Visitors are instructed to be quiet and respectful when entering the hall with guards walking around ensuring that nothing precarious happens.

Behind the statue the words "倫理" (ethics), "民主" (democracy) and "科學" (science) are inscribed on the wall in beautiful calligraphy. The words are taken from ROC founder Sun Yat Sen's (孫中山) "Minquan" or "People Power Principle" (民權主義) and part of the larger philosophy that made up his "Three Principles of the People“ (民權主義) governing philosophy.

Each side of the statue has members of the Republic of China Honour Guard who stand at attention and take part in an elaborate changing of the guard ceremony once every hour and a lowering of the flag ceremony at 5:00pm each day. The changing of the guard ceremony is one of the most popular attractions at the Memorial Hall and when its time for the changing of the guards, an elaborate ceremony takes place which is symbolic of the ROC armed forces discipline and skill.

 Liberty Square / Renaming Controversy

In the year 2000, after more than fifty years of single party rule, the Chinese Nationalist Party was defeated in free and open elections by former President Chen Shui Bian (陳水扁) and his Democratic Progressive Party. In the years since Chiang Kai-Shek's death, Taiwan had transformed itself into a pluralistic democracy with protected rights for all of its citizens with efforts to seek transitional justice for the people who suffered under one party rule.  

The newfound rights and freedoms granted to the people of Taiwan meant that a serious debate could take place as to Chiang Kai-Shek's legacy with more and more details emerging as to what really happened during as a result of the 228 Incident (二二八事件) and the period of White Terror (白色恐怖) orchestrated by the KMT under what is known as the longest period of Martial Law in world history. 

In 2007 controversy erupted when the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall was renamed by the government to the Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall (台灣民主紀念館). The move was a lacklustre and short-lived attempt to right the wrongs of the past with the claim that the name change reflected the desire of the Taiwanese public to "bid goodbye to the old age and to show that we Taiwanese are all standing firmly behind the universal values of freedom, democracy and human rights."

The changes to the Memorial Park included:

  1. The removal of the "Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall" plaque.
  2. Adding the "Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall" (台灣民主紀念館) plaque.
  3. The removal of the ceremonial ROC Honour Guards who stand at attention.
  4. A redesign of the inner hall to honour Taiwan's road to democracy.
  5. The naming of the square in front of the hall to "Liberty Square" (自由廣場).
  6. The naming of the walkway leading up to the Hall to "Democracy Boulevard" (民主大道).
  7. Replacing the words "Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness" (大中至正) from the main gate with "Liberty Square" (自由廣場).

Unfortunately the Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall was an exercise in futility as the changes came close to the end of President Chen's second term and the KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-Jeou (馬英九) promised an immediate removal of all of the changes made to the memorial hall.

"Mr. Ma" ultimately won the election and the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall was restored shortly thereafter.

 If you'd like to read a more detailed explanation of the Renaming Controversy check out this excellent Wikipedia post about it which is one of the best English recollections of the events available on the internet - Renaming of Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Despite Mr. Ma's campaign promises to remove all of the changes to the Memorial Hall, the government was unable to remove the Liberty Square and Democracy Boulevard changes as it would have been seen as a regression in Taiwan's democracy and yet another KMT denial of their crimes against the people of Taiwan.

Today, the beautifully designed main gate to the Memorial Hall is named "Liberty Square" and it is a fitting name for a place that has been a hot spot for democratic activity and protest since Chiang's death in 1975.

Liberty Square is a popular place not only for mass gatherings and protests but for outdoor concerts, festivals and public exhibitions. The square has also become a popular place for students to practice dance routines as well as for others to exercise, practice Tai Chi, bird-watch and relax with friends.

National Theatre and Concert Hall

The most imposing and impressive structures on Liberty Square are that of the National Theatre (國家戲劇院) and National Concert Hall (國家音樂廳). The two buildings play host to major performances all year long and are considered the best artistic venues in the country.

The two opposing buildings which were completed in 1987 have since become major Taipei landmarks and are celebrated not just for the quality performances that take place throughout the year but also for the traditional Chinese palace-style design and modern construction techniques that were used in their construction.

Each of the buildings house art galleries, shops, restaurants and libraries dedicated to the performing arts and tours are available if you'd like to visit the interior. 

National Theatre and Concert Hall Website: English | 中文 

Park

The people of Taiwan people are extremely well-skilled when it comes to the art of designing beautiful landscapes and the gardens. The skill, care and design that goes into designing even small floral arrangements in Taiwan is extremely admirable. The groundskeepers at the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall however take landscape design to a whole new level with well-curated pieces of landscaping art to each side of Democracy Boulevard.

The forested parks to the side and behind the Memorial Hall are also quite impressive. The parks are a haven for wildlife serving as the home for squirrels, birds, fish, turtles and cranes. Local people come to the park to exercise as well as feed the wildlife.

The parks, like the floral designs next to Democracy Boulevard are artificial, but after almost thirty years of existence they seem almost natural. The trees have grown quite large and a stroll through the forest walkways is a peaceful escape from the city.

Each side of the park has a 3000 square meter pond which are named "Yunhan Pond" (雲漢池) and "Guang Hua Pond" (光華池) respectively. The ponds are home to turtles, frogs, King Fishers and a variety of carp.

As one of the top travel destinations in Taiwan, the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and park should definitely be considered a must visit stop for any traveller visiting Taiwan.

Chiang made a point even in death to show that his "China" was the better one and that traditional Chinese culture and architecture had a place in modern Taiwanese society while the Communists in China were wreaking havoc and destroying remnants of the past.

The architectural design put on display in this park is amazing and the sheer size of it makes it awe-inspiring for anyone who enjoys a bit of traditional design with a modern touch. 

While a trip to the Memorial Park is highly recommended by most travel guides, I also recommend taking some time to educate yourself about the complicated history of the man who was an important figure during the Second World War and whose oppression and authoritarian style of governance for better or worse shaped Taiwan into the modern country it is today. Below are some links that will help: 


2016 Taiwan Election (2016總統大選)

 The results are in, the people have spoken and the way in which they voiced their opinion through their democratic privilege was very clear and a direct criticism of the past eight years of governance. The ruling KMT was dealt a crushing defeat, the second embarrassing result for the party since November 2014 and has completely changed the political landscape of the country.

Polls before the election, which was held on January 16th, 2016, were quite confident of the result and for the most part they were right give or take a few surprises and upsets. Despite a low turnout for the election, the people who did vote voiced their opposition to KMT's way of doing things and the way President Ma Ying Jeou (馬英九) has governed the country for the past eight years.

The party was given a majority in the legislature in 2012 to go with the presidency and was still unable to enact any real positive reforms or initiatives that would positively effect the people of this country. The presidents economic "6-3-3" policy was a massive failure and as time ran down on his presidency he became more introverted and ignored the will of the people. In the legislature, the party attempted to secretly push through legislation and pass party-centric education textbook reforms which erupted in massive country-wide protests, a citizen takeover of the legislature and discontent even within their own ranks.

Still after all of the turmoil of the past few years, the KMT has yet to realize it's mistakes and atone for them. They still view theirselves as the 'natural ruling party' and the most righteous party at that. In the aftermath of the election we have seen legislators who have been unseated blame other factors for their loss while not addressing their own faults. This unrepentant attitude in addition their poor governance is why the Taiwanese electorate dealt them such a crushing blow.

Light up Taiwan (點亮台灣) 

The KMT attempted to make this election about relations with China. They believed that they were the only party capable of communicating with the Chinese and that closer relations with Taiwan's largest neighbour would benefit the people of this country. This argument however wasn't really based in reality as economic policy over the past eight years has done a lot to bring the two countries closer, but has done very little to positively affect the livelihood of the people of Taiwan.

The dismal economic situation has led to a lot of hopelessness for the younger generation (which doesn't identify with China) and the thought of yet another KMT government would only cause them further distress. Young people came out and they campaigned, they voiced their opinions and they formed new political parties to combat the polarization of Taiwanese politics. The young people of Taiwan are extremely intelligent and well versed in democratic principles - They knew that if they were to have any hope for a brighter future that things would have to change. And that they would have to be more active in the political process to ensure change was coming. 

"Hope" is what the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (民主進步黨) and its presidential candidate Tsai Ying Wen (蔡英文) campaigned on. The people of this country, both young and old were looking for hope and they saw that in this shy academic who ran on a platform of constitutional reform and a fresh take on economic policy which is based on forming (and reforming) partnerships with all of Taiwan's regional neighbours rather than focusing on just one.

Eight years of anger released in a moment of happiness! 

The victory party, which I mentioned in my previous post about Taiwanese Democracy was held in front of the DPP headquarters in Taipei and was an amazing event that I'll probably never forget. I've been a resident of Taiwan for over a decade and despite the fact that I can't vote, I still share a lot of the same concerns as the youth of the country. 

The crowd was a healthy mix of young and old and was quite exuberant. Every time a party heavyweight came out to make a speech they clapped, waved their flags and made a lot of noise.

I arrived early enough to squeeze myself into the middle of the crowd to get in the thick of things. I'm actually a bit claustrophobic at times, but I put that aside for a while and did my best to enjoy the experience and put myself in a place where I could get shots of what was happening on stage and also shots of the people in attendance. 

There was a large screen behind the stage that was projecting realtime results of the election and every time something happened the crowd erupted. The first major surprise was that Hau Long Bin (郝龍斌), deputy chairman of the KMT, former Taipei Mayor and a KMT princeling lost his bid for a legislative seat in Keelung. His loss also ushered in his resignation as the deputy leader of the party. The crowd erupted at the amazing victory and the hosts came out on stage to thank and bow to the people of Keelung for their support.

Shortly after that at around 7:00pm, KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) appeared on screen and conceded defeat as he was by that point losing by over three million votes. The crowd went wild seeing a man who staged a hostile takeover of the party candidacy from its former candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and ran a negative campaign (with personal attacks on Tsai and her family) on stage admitting defeat. During his concession speech he said he would resign as chairman of the party and work hard in his position as mayor of New Taipei City.

At that point it was just a matter of time until the new president appeared to claim her victory. A notice appeared on the large screen that the president-elect would hold an international news conference at 8:30pm and then make her acceptance speech shortly thereafter. This gave the crowd some time to celebrate and enjoy some live music, speeches from DPP heavyweights and watch the legislative results pour in.

How the new legislature will look on February 1st. (Source: @formosaphile)

The party secured what they referred to as a "home run" in the southern counties and quickly started gaining seats in the north. The crowd however expected that and seemed to pay most attention to two seats in Taipei, one in Taichung and another in Hualien that if won would be emotional victories for the nation, the party and its allies.

The first of those was that of Huang Kuo-Chang (黃國昌), one of the leaders of the Sunflower movement and a founding member of the New Power Party (時代力量) as well as a former professor of law at Taiwan's prestigious Academica Sinica. Huang's victory proved that the Sunflower student movement (太陽花學運) was more than just a mere youth protest movement but a force for positive political change in the country.  

The crowd then gasped with amazement when political newcomer Hung Tzu-Yung (洪慈庸) won a seat for the New Power Party in Taichung. Hung is the older sister of Hung Chung-Chiu (洪仲丘) a military conscript who died while being punished for bringing his cellphone onto the base a few days before he was about to discharged. His death sparked mass protests across the nation and served as a lightning rod for the youth of the country who felt that the current state of affairs in the country did not represent their values.

If the KMT isn't defeated, Taiwan cannot get better. 

The crowd then exploded with applause when Freddy Lim (林昶佐) unseated a 20 year veteran of the Legislative Yuan. Lim, the lead singer of the death metal band CthoniC (閃靈樂團) and former chairman of Amnesty International's Taiwan chapter became an international news sensation with his political aspirations, long hair and tattoos. Freddy seemed to be the perfect candidate for the New Power Party because of his past work with the student movement and with human rights initiatives. The party focuses on transitional justice advocating for human rights, civil and political liberties as well as maintaining Taiwan's independence and sovereignty. (Check out this Freddy interview by Taiwan Reporter)  

Finally, Hsiao Bi-Khim (蕭美琴) a member of the DPP won a hard fought battle in Hualien in a district that has always voted for the KMT and was thought to be un-winnable. Her campaign was fought extremely well despite attacks from the KMT and Christian groups who attacked her for her perceived homosexuality and stance on same-sex marriage. Hsiao brings to the table an excellent knowledge of foreign affairs and she will be a great asset for the new government as it looks to expand trade opportunities with other countries. 

At the end of the night, the KMT lost the presidency and the majority they held in the legislature. The DPP will take control of the legislature in February with 68/113 seats in the legislature with their allies in the New Power Party holding 5. The KMT will have 35 seats and will serve as the opposition party, something they will reluctantly have to get used to after over five decades of power.

The Democratic Progressive Party and the President's acceptance speech. 

When the president finally came out, the crowd erupted with cheers of "總統好" (Hello President) The emotion of the moment got the better of quite a few people who had tears in their eyes while smiling and waving their "Light Up Taiwan" (點亮台灣) flags. The new president had a very unifying acceptance speech and promised to do her best to fulfill her role as president of Taiwan and work every minute of the day to ensure a better future for the 23 million people living here. She promised to work hard to bridge the gaps of political polarization in the country and work together with opposition parties to protecting national sovereignty and make Taiwan a stronger, more united nation.

The following is a translated excerpt from her acceptance speech and has been being spread around social media since the victory:

Today, we have accomplished something important for Taiwan. We have told the world that Taiwan is a democracy, and democracy is in Taiwan.
The great thing about Taiwan is that everyone has the right to choose their own future.
Everyone should respect this freedom. This election has proven to the world that Taiwanese are a free people. No one should have to apologize for their national identity.
Dignity, solidarity and confidence are the new Taiwan.
We are more brave after today.

At the end of the evening, music was playing, people were cheering and the crowd was shouting "We are Taiwanese, We are Taiwanese, 我們是台灣人" lead by legislator and MC of the night Hsu Kuo Ying (徐國勇) who remarked to the people around the world who were watching that "With our votes, we proved that we are a sovereign and independent nation!" before adding: "This is our nation."

The international news media seems to have covered the election with the same China-centric stupidity as usual, so I just want to close this post with a reminder that President-elect Tsai isn't "Pro-Independence", she is "Pro-Taiwan" and Taiwan is not a "renegade province", it is a free liberal democratic nation where the people take have a voice in their future. The media may have a gun to its head, but it is the responsibility of a free press to print facts and not propaganda. 

Below is a list of links that provides more responsible information about the election and better analysis. As it is still quite early and the dust is still settling, I'll make sure update the links as more responsible analysis and commentary becomes available. 

I'd like to close this by saying that I'm extremely proud of Taiwan for experiencing yet another peaceful transition of power and I'm hopeful that change is coming to the country I love. 

蔡總統加油!臺灣加油!



Democracy in Taiwan (臺灣民主)

How could a country run by a military dictatorship despite tremendous odds and an almost complete lack of any international assistance turn into one of the most successful and vibrant democracies almost overnight?

If you asked that question a few decades ago you'd probably hear most experts say that it couldn't work – How could a nation that lived under such conditions transition into a liberal democratic country with all the freedoms, equality and liberty that western nations profess to enjoy?

The transition to democracy in Taiwan hasn’t been a perfect one and there have been ups and downs, but as we approach the upcoming presidential and legislative elections on January 16th, 2016, I think it's important to reflect on Taiwan’s success and why democracy is so important to the 23 million people living in this country and how they use it (in their unique way) to pave their own road to the future and act as an excellent example for the rest of Asia and the world in the process. 

Before I talk about the election or the history of democracy here I think it's important to note that while people here are embracing democratic principles, an unprecedented shift has started to take place in the west which has initiated a move away from traditional democracy and party politics. The disillusionment of voters both young and old with the current state of politics as well as a distrust of elected officials has resulted in a public outcry for reforms and better representation.

To that effect we are seeing the rise in popularity of the Bernie Sanders and the Donald Trumps of the world who both appear not to be your atypical politician, but a manifestation of the anger people feel on both sides of the equation towards their elected representatives and the system itself.

Taiwan is not immune from such trends and last year a popular independent and progressive candidate ran for the mayorship of Taipei city and won taking power from the political parties that have polarized society.

A recent study titled: “The Democratic Disconnect” which analyzed trends in democratic countries between 1995 and 2014 found that attitudes with respect to democracy in the west have started to become less than favourable. Taiwan on the other hand was on the opposite end of the spectrum - To the people living in this country, the democracy that we see today is the result of a hard fought battle and a test of the political maturity of the populace. The people of this country were forced to endure years of Japanese colonialism as well as decades of martial law which brought with it a period known as White Terror (白色恐怖) under the Nationalist government led by Chiang Kai Shek (蔣介石) who had retreated to Taiwan and set up shop at the end of the Chinese Civil War.

A statue of President Chiang Kai Shek, a polarizing figure in Taiwanese history.

The monopoly of power once held by the Nationalist Party since its retreat in 1945 ended in the 90s and since then the country has held several top level and legislative elections with peaceful transitions of power. There are elections at every level of government in Taiwan with candidates vying for positions ranging from local village leaders, town and city councillors, mayors, national legislators and president. There are candidates from a number of political parties vying for power ensuring that there will never again be a monopoly when it comes to governance in the country.


- Timeline of events leading up to democratization -  

  • 1947 – Nationalist troops set a precedent for the next 40 years by violently crushing island-wide protests in what is now known as the 228 incident.
  • 1949 – Nationalists lose civil war to the Communists in China and a mass migration of people loyal to the KMT retreat to Taiwan in order to regroup.
  • 1971 – The ROC leaves the UN when the international body switches recognition to the Peoples Republic of China.
  • 1975 – Chiang Kai Shek passes away and Vice President Yen Chia-Kan (嚴家淦)  assumes control of the government as interim leader.
  • 1978Chiang Ching Kuo (蔣經國), son of Chiang Kai Shek becomes president. 
  • 1979 – The US switches diplomatic recognition to China and passes the Taiwan Relations Act which requires the US to help defend the island from Chinese aggression.
  • 1984 – To the surprise of many Chiang Ching Kuo hand picks Lee Teng Hui (李登輝), a Taiwan-born member of the KMT as Vice President.
  • 1986 – President Chiang pledges political reform including a free press, the formation of opposition parties and the right to lawful assembly.
  • 1987 – Taiwan ends martial law after more than four decades.
  • 1988 – Chiang Ching Kuo passes away and Lee Teng Hui becomes president.
  • 1994 – Government allows the formation of new independent television stations.
  • 1996 – The country holds its first free and open elections with Lee Teng Hui winning in a landslide.
  • 2000 – KMT presidential candidate Lien Chan (連戰) and Independent James Soong (宋楚瑜) are defeated in elections by opposition party candidate Chen Shui Bian (陳水扁) ending half a century of Nationalist rule over the island.
  • 2004 – Chen Shui Bian wins reelection by a thin margin.
  • 2008Ma Ying Jeou (馬英九) returns the KMT to power.
  • 2012 – Ma Ying Jeou wins reelection by a smaller margin (51%-45%)
  • 2014Sunflower (太陽花學運) protests take control of legislature in order to pressure government to stop taking unilateral “black box” (黑箱) action with regards to relations with China.
  • 2014Nine in One elections (九合一選舉) take place for all the cities and counties in the country and KMT is dealt a massive defeat forcing President Ma to step down as the chairman of the party setting up a battle for 2016 presidential and legislative elections.

Sunset at Liberty Square (自由廣場)

The future leaders of the nation playing at Liberty Square (自由廣場)

Taiwan has a healthy and vibrant civil society that boasts a free and open media, civil liberties, freedom of speech and assembly and ensures the same rights and privileges as any other western democracy all while under the tremendous threat and shadow of the Chinese Communist Party in China.

Some may argue that Taiwan’s civil society is sometimes too active and too erratic but the people here have little time to waste on civil servants who aren't holding up to their promises and chaos often has to erupt in the form of peaceful protest movements to bring about reforms. These movements are a big part of life here in Taiwan and if the people aren't happy they will be sure to let their elected officials hear about it as they did during the Wild Lily movement (野百合學運) and the most recent Sunflower movement (太陽花學運.)

Election campaigns are often just as loud and rambunctious as the protests themselves with firecrackers, taiko drums, speaker trucks and open houses in every neighbourhood in the country where people discuss the issues and meet with their elected representatives.

Lin Fei Fan (林飛帆) one of the student leaders of the Sunflower movement. 

A protest at Liberty Square

The country is currently in the midst of an election campaign which is forecasted to bring a massive change in the political and social climate. The first major change is that we will have a new president - The current president Mr. Ma Ying Jeou (馬英九) will be forced to step down due to term limitations after serving for the past eight years as the head of state. His dismal approval ratings and lack of any real positive governance is projected to cause a massive political shift with his Nationalist party being defeated at all levels as a reaction to his poor performance.

Ma was elected in a landslide back in 2008 with his “633” economic policy (6% GDP growth, US $30K a year base salary/3% unemployment) which has not even come close to being realized and is a microcosm of the failure of his presidency. Once elected, Ma focused most of his policies on warmer relations with China and because of that all of his domestic policies were a disaster and the economy and the country suffered.

Standing guard

Democracy Memorial Hall

In November 2014 when the nine-in-one municipal elections (九合一選舉) took place, Mr. Ma’s KMT lost the majority of cities and counties that they controlled due to a collective effort of social movements which opposed the direction the president was taking the country and a general consensus among the public that the government has done little to improve the lives of Taiwanese people.

Unfazed by both the student uprising and the results of the election, the president continued his unpopular policies (including meeting with the leader of China) which forced his approval ratings into single digits and earned him the nickname “lame duck president” or the more popular “bumbler” coined by the Economist magazine.

The performance of the president is of course only one of the factors that will decide the fate of the upcoming elections – There are also issues of corruption within the KMT, the government’s lack of action with regards food safety, a suffering economy, lack of opportunity and employment, rising prices of commodities, an unfair judiciary system, an insane real estate market and of course relations with China.

Economic disparity has become a huge issue

The president was fortunate during his term to have a KMT-led legislature, but was still unable to achieve anything constructive over the past eight years, so while the president is on the hot seat, most of the legislators from his party are likely to feel the burn as well and so far during the campaign, the vast majority of KMT candidates have distanced themselves from the president and his policies in an attempt to save their own jobs. 

The situation that the next president will inherit is not a great one and is quite similar to the one that greeted President Obama when he took control of the White House. There are three people running for the presidency - Eric Chu (朱立倫) of the Nationalist Party, James Soong (宋楚瑜) of the People First Party (親民黨) and Tsai Ying-Wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (民進黨)

Polling has had Ms. Tsai in the lead with almost 40-50% support since the outset of the campaign while her closest opponent Eric Chu struggles to reach even half of that. KMT pollsters have tried to stay positive and have been reporting as of late that their candidate has bridged a bit of the gap in terms of support, but the trend in polling points to a different scenario.  

The blue-green divide that polarizes Taiwanese politics. 

If polling the accurate, it would seem that all signs are pointing to Tsai becoming the next president of Taiwan, becoming one of the few popularly elected female heads of state in Asia. Her Democratic Progressive Party and their allies however would also prefer to have majority control in the Legislative Yuan (Taiwan’s parliament) to ensure a smoother process of legislation and reforms.

Polls as of January 6th (the deadline for polling) 

To achieve this the party has set forth an ambitious policy platform and has also supported likeminded candidates who belong to smaller parties or are running as independents.

The results of the election on January 16th will come quickly with a high voter turnout - including over one million youth who will have the opportunity to vote for the first time meaning that the youth vote in this election will be extremely important.  

Despite the election being in January, the transition of power will not happen until May - The current president thus has a lot of work to do until he finishes out his term and during those four months (if he were wise) he should focus on doing things which would be of benefit to the people of the country and of course help out his party in an attempt to leave office on a somewhat positive note.

Civil society will pay close attention to what both he and the president-elect will be doing during this transition period and suffice to say, the current situation in the country won't allow for a honeymoon period for the new president as work needs to get started right away.

The Presidential Building 

Most of the shots from the post were taken in and around the Chung Cheng district (中正區) of Taipei where the Presidential building, the central government, the Democracy Memorial Hall (I refuse to call it by its other name), Liberty Square, National Theatre and Concert Hall are located. The district is not only the site of the government and political activity in the nation but where most of the protests take place as well.

This blog is a bit different from what I normally do on this website, so let me say that this is just to serve as an introduction to an upcoming post where I have made plans to be at DPP headquarters on the day of the election to shoot the event.

It will be exciting to once again see Taiwan's democracy in action and take part in the event as a foreign observer to see the faces of the Tsai’s supporters and their pride in Taiwan’s democracy. The campaign was a long one and despite a lot of hope for the future mixed in with a lot of negativity from both sides, no matter what the outcome is, the transition will be peaceful and Taiwan will continue to be a world leader in democratic governance.

Part Two: Election Results and Photos from the Victory Party


To keep up to date with the election the following links are excellent resources and are full of all the information you'll need to get yourself caught up and to follow the action: 

  1. Taiwan Elections 2016: Essential Electionic Resources - A complete list of resources 
  2. Frozen Garlic: A Blog on Elections in Taiwan - Excellent Analysis
  3. Solidarity Taiwan - Translated news and polls
  4. The View from Taiwan (Michael Turton) - News, Polls and Opinion
  5. Thinking Taiwan - News and Opinion

Tweeters to Follow

 Elias 林宣谷 | ジェームス | Ben Goren | Michael Turton | Michal Thim | J Michael Cole Gwen Wang | Ketty W. Chen | Jonathan Sullivan | Frank CT Hsieh