Opinion Piece: The President's Election Obsession Is Fueling Social Division

A good national leader must above all possess the wisdom of governance—this wisdom being the ability to propose policies that benefit the nation and its people, ensuring the country functions smoothly. Unfortunately, the current president of Taiwan has failed to present even a single commendable policy, even to their own supporters, and the normal operation of the state remains a distant dream. Even when citizens express their strongest outrage through public gatherings, the president remains indifferent, persisting as an election-obsessed figure who allows societal division to grow—this is the greatest hidden threat to our nation’s development today.

We certainly understand the importance of elections in a democratic country. However, elections are merely a means to attain political power, and the purpose of gaining power should be to improve the lives of more people. Conversely, if winning elections becomes the ultimate goal in itself, the electoral process may become filled with unexpected incidents, and policy measures taken solely to secure victory may stray from the spirit of democracy. After all, when winning elections justifies any means, ethical boundaries are easily crossed.

Although the next major election may still be some time away, the ruling party continues to firmly believe in its sacred slogan of "resisting China, protecting Taiwan." As a result, journalists like those from CTI News, due to their special backgrounds, can be detained for extended periods without prosecution—everything will be dealt with after the election. Even Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairperson Shen Youzhong revealed in a web program interview that nearly 200 Taiwanese citizens have been interrogated, detained, or gone missing after traveling to China. Can anyone really believe there is no political manipulation behind such weakly substantiated claims made at this particular moment?

Recently, the Taichung District Prosecutors Office used the civil affairs system to send a special notice to all 625 village heads in the city, emphasizing that if they accept instructions, commissions, or funding to provide free or unreasonably low-cost trips to China or other regions, and require support for specific political parties or candidates, they may violate the Anti-Infiltration Act. Those who fund or recruit participants could face up to ten years in prison. Is issuing such a message at this precise moment not a classic case of "protesting too much"—essentially admitting guilt by trying too hard to deny it?

Political integrity is paramount, and elections are the most important process for verifying a politician’s credibility. Yet what we now see is a government distrusted more than it is trusted. Rather than attempting to reverse this disadvantage through substantive policy reforms, the administration is instead pouring administrative resources into massive online influence operations and media manipulation, trying to forcibly reshape its image of incompetence. Because this approach contradicts actual public opinion, social division has become an inevitable outcome.

All of this hinges on a single decision by the president. If President Lai could change his political philosophy, abandon his obsession with elections, resign as chairperson of the DPP, and truly become a president for all people, there would still be hope for 2028. But if President Lai continues down his current path, the resources gained through the election may vanish entirely once the election is over.

*Author is a university professor