Reply #114: Scars are a sign of healing [View All]

[dArKeR]

Since the conclusion of the presidential election, dissatisfaction and the potential for confrontation have simmered. While some pan-blue supporters feel disillusioned and outraged at the result, the pan-greens feel they have been deprived of the joy to celebrate President Chen Shui-bian's (???) re-election. And although Saturday's pan-blue demonstration ended peacefully, the ruling and opposition parties still need to work hard to reduce tensions.

The reason why the election resulted in such a serious split is that voters have been encouraged to vote according to their ethnic backgrounds. This has affected every part of society, with dichotomies such as "Taiwanese president versus foreign control," "Taiwanese versus Chinese," "pro-referendum versus anti-referendum" and "pro-democracy versus anti-democracy" proving most effective.

This campaign method is capable of generating antagonism with very little effort. And the distinction between these would-be poles has been devised to place barriers between friends and foes and conjure up maximum political momentum.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2004/03/30/2003108444