By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) reiterated yesterday that it was still too early to talk about whether she would run in the DPP chairmanship election next year or if she would visit China.
Responding to inquiries from the media, the DPP heavyweight, who many think will run again in the 2016 presidential election, was noncommittal about her future plans, a topic she has been asked about in almost every public appearance she has made recently.
At the press conference, Tsai addressed a wide range of topics, including President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration — the bad performance of which was her primary concern — the so-called “1992 consensus” and her visit to Israel.
There has been an obvious disconnection between the Ma administration and the public and it seems that most people are not satisfied with the government regardless of what it has achieved, she said.
While there are many reasons behind the disconnect and bad performance vary, three stand out, she said.
“First, Taiwan needs an open-minded, liberal leader with a long-term vision for the country’s future and what needs be done to get there,” Tsai said.
The Ma administration is also suffering from a talent shortage as most high-ranking officials were trained in the past authoritarian regime, she said, adding that politically-appointed officials have also failed to connect society with the bureautic system.
Tsai said the bureaucratic system has been a “closed circuit” which has almost reacted to the rapidly changing society, making it extremely difficult for it to evolve and develop next-generation government officials.
Tsai did not elaborate on the “1992 consensus,” which observers said was the deciding factor in Ma’s re-election victory over Tsai last year, but said the “invented political term has been a midway point” in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) repeated retreat on its cross-strait position.
Tsai said she still holds the view that it is important for everyone to “sit down and talk about what they agree and disagree on before dealing with Beijing.”