Finally, the old and new generations of Kuomintang (KMT) have parted on their views of “1992 Consensus”. Consensus was also lost between KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This is a significant political turn that announces the arrival of the Johnny Chiang era.

Among the big bosses in the KMT, only Ma Yingjeou and Su Chi are still holding on to the deceptive proposition of “1992 Consensus”. The CCP has lost its fulcrum in Taiwan because of this turn. This is especially so when Chiang stressed that the penetration of lousy merchandisers has to be blocked. He did not name the “merchandisers”, but, for those who are familiar with the KMT politics, it is apparent who have been to Beijing for sumptuous treats. To the KMT members, a new era of leadership has arrived.

When Chiang was elected president of KMT, there was no congratulatory message from Beijing. It was a strong sign of change in the KMT-CCP relation, showing that Beijing was not close to Chiang. With the victory of Tsai Ingwen in the 2020 presidential election, the Taiwanese values upheld by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have been formally endorsed. On the other hand, the Beijing spirit possessing Han Kuoyu was rebuked with a hard blow. For a long time, Beijing had been exerting its influences on Taiwan politics through the KMT on the basis of “1992 Consensus”. The whole Ma Yingjeou term was a good manifestation of such influences. Ma’s loyalty to Beijing had won him his dreamed meeting with Xi Jinping. Taiwan, which was on the way to democracy, was compromised as a Beijing’s minion. The legitimate identity of Taiwanese people was impaired seriously as a result.

The DDP, which was never connected with Beijing, and a big loser in the 2018 Taiwanese local elections, came back to power in the recent presidential election. This demonstrated that the identity of Taiwanese democracy had nothing to do with Beijing. The phenomenon of Han was a counter example of this identity. He was good at using the language of Mao Zedong’s style, and relied on Beijing’s support to strengthen his influence. The election campaign with no solid commitment had won the hearts of many fans of his and upset even more. His rise and fall were like the case of a fiend, not the norm of democracy. His submission to Beijing was the critical factor for his recall referendum, and his being forced to step down symbolized Beijing’s fiasco in Taiwan.

The young Chiang has finally awakened. He did not buy into the deceptive “1992 Consensus” or answer any summon from Beijing. Since the end of last year, Su Chi, who conjured the term “1992 Consensus”, had been threatening KMT members with his saying, “Quit the 1992 Consensus and the earth will quake.” Such deceptive slogans had once made him popular. He played his tunes in harmony with Ma Yingjeou, and eventually paced for the defeat of the KMT. Lies were lies only. At least the young KMT leaders like Jiang did not fall for it. Jiang built his credibility from the Taiwanese grassroots and he knew that it was time for the KMT to ground themselves. He knew that if they kept replying on Beijing for their influence, they would likely continue to stay in defeat.

Jiang’s mission is to lead transformation in such a difficult time. The challenge during his term of office is to shift the party from China-biased to Taiwan-biased. This is the real earthquake and the key for the KMT to formally take a democratic return to Taiwan. Elections in the past used to be the competition between Taiwanese and Chinese parties. It would be democracy at its maturity when it is competition among Taiwanese parties alone. A person can certainly have his own political beliefs, but a political party cannot muddle up its stance. Being declined by Ma Yingjeou and Wu Denyih for a meal invitation is just a small bubble in the long river of politics. Jiang’s task is to ride on the tide and surf on the waves in the future. KMT quitting “1992 Consensus” is going to bring Taiwan democracy back on the right track.

(Chen Fang-ming, Professor of Taiwanese Literature Research Institute, National Chengchi University, Taiwan)

---------------------------------
Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app
To know more: https://bit.ly/2yMMfQE
Apple Daily mobile app latest version DOWNLOAD NOW