Identity and Democratic Values in Divided Taiwan

Abstract

Literature about the consolidation of democratization in Taiwan began to appear in conferences and journals a decade after Taiwan launched its political reform in late 1980s. While national elections are regularly and peacefully held, few people doubt that Taiwan will become a genuine and mature democracy — as for the extent of maturity, only time will tell. However, a variety of political events in the last decade tempered the people’s confidence in the future of democratic development in Taiwan. Not far away from the joy of the first peaceful alternation of power in 2000, the campaign process for the 2004 presidential election and subsequent events in Taipei aroused the voters’ doubt on the legitimacy of the result of the election. Soon, the scandals of President Chen Shui-bian and his family members astonished not only his supporters but also the public that the people called democracy in question. Although the second successful party alternation in 2008 indicated that Taiwan passed the two-turnover test and became a consolidated democracy (Huntington 1991: 266–267), President Ma Ying-jeou’s approval rating repeatedly hit all-time low in his