Master Yoda is Not Here: Tsai Ing-wen’s Second Year

On May 4th, Taiwan’s Vice President Chen Chien-jen hosted VIPs from a galaxy far, far away. During his official remarks, he apologized that Master Yoda, regretfully, could not be there. The Jedi Master Yoda, otherwise known as President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, was otherwise preoccupied.

Perhaps not coincidentally, President Tsai’s absence and preoccupation seemed to be symbolic of her second year in the office of president, which ended yesterday.

Magazine articles and TV talk shows had probably already took apart her administration’s accomplishments and failures. We know what they are: The Labor Standards Act amendments (to the amendments). Transitional justice. Indigenous rights. Pension reform. Innovation and startups. New Southbound Policy. Despite how any one voter feels about the changes, changes have been made, no matter how incremental.

As there has been progress, so has there been controversy. Many of the issues I just mentioned sparked public demonstrations and scuffles with the police. One such incident ended with the police grabbing protest leaders and dropping them off at the edge of the city. Another ended with a falling accident that led to the death of a pension protester.

Say what you will about the actual policy debates. But to me, this second year seemed to be characterized by preoccupation with something else for the president herself. Perhaps she is frustrated at the morass that is policy sausage-making, that her vision could not be fully transcribed into legislation. Maybe it is with the even slower pace at which her administration’s initiatives are impacting the state of the economy, and the impatient public blaming her for problems that just take time to resolve. Or she could be bothered by formal allies of the Republic of China government becoming former allies, like with The Dominican Republic last month, and Panama the year before.

While President Tsai is not exactly mired in hardened partisan battles, she has become less of a central figure in Taiwan’s political life. Her presence has retreated from the conversations about public affairs around the dinner table and on LINE. Headlines are now more focused on Premier William Lai and Secretary General Chen Chu, both heavyweights of the party and successful former big city magistrates possibly looking to advance to the presidency themselves. The latest distractions to capture everyone’s attention are what will happen with the National Taiwan University’s president-elect, and who will run as the ruling DPP’s candidate in the Taipei city mayoral race; neither are truly debates concerning the national interest, and both discussions revolve more around partisan conspiracies than meaningful civic deliberations. The lesser players are the ones setting the agendas now.

Not to mention, there is a list of issues that are actually important, but received little attention. What will the Tsai administration do about same sex marriage? What should Taiwan’s trade strategy be in the midst of intensifying US-China tug of war? How will Taiwan carve out a unique voice in the growing tensions in the East Asia region? And is Taiwan doing the right things when it comes to projecting an image to the world?

Where has Master Yoda gone?

In an interview with David Letterman on his new Netflix series, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, former US President Barack Obama said this about being the president of a nation:

“Part of your ability to lead the country doesn’t have to do with legislation, doesn’t have to do with regulations, it has to do with shaping attitudes, shaping culture.”

Being a leader entails not just formulating policy and executing results through legislation. It is  also about articulating a vision and, more importantly, embodying that vision so the ultimate stakeholders, the people, are willing to buy into a common national project.

In parliamentary political systems, the role of the deal-making political leader is played by a prime minister, while the role of the inspiring national leader is played by a ceremonial head of state. In pure presidential systems like in the United States, both roles are played by the president. Taiwan’s system has evolved into something in between: the president is popularly elected as the end result of an all-encompassing, adversarial public campaign, but she is also expected by the constitution to leave the dirty politics to her premier, and sit above the partisan fray to lead by vision.

This split personality in the office of the president has been Taiwan’s fundamental constitutional crisis. Until the roles themselves are amended and resolved, Taiwan’s president has oftentimes strong armed other branches of government through persuasion and coercion, or simply retreated into the background and ceded both roles. There is a better road to take.

In The Last Jedi, Master Yoda reappears to give his protégé Luke Skywalker some advice. The galaxy far far away has moved on from the wars of Yoda’s days, and even Skywalker’s days. A new generation is fighting on behalf of the same forces that has clashed since the beginning of time. Nonetheless, Master Yoda’s presence is felt, his words to his protege and the newest Jedi Knight ultimately changing the fate of the galaxy.

A new generation of leaders are pounding at the gates of Taiwan’s political and intellectual institutions. The conflict is moving on from the generation of Tsai Ing-wen. But as Master Yoda, she is still relevant—relevant to shape the attitudes and the culture of Taiwan, and inspire people to imagine a better future, and convince people that future is possible and worth fighting for.

She could have done more of that this past year, but as Yoda himself said, “the greatest teacher, failure is.” It’s time to step up.

(Feature photo of President Tsai Ing-wen, from Office of the President Flickr, CC BY 2.0)