May 20, Tsai Ing-wen begins new presidency. The expectations of the Taiwanese

The winning party in the elections, the DPP, is seen as closer to young people and determined to try new paths. But the new president will also have to find a balance with mainland China. And her contribution as a woman.

 

Taipei (AsiaNews) - The new president of the group that emerged victorious from the 16 January elections, begins her term of office in a month. In order to obtain an overall view of people’s expectations we went out onto the streets to interview people from every walk of life in the capital, ahead of Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and her government beginning their work on 20 May.

What was most striking is the burden of expectations placed on the new government team. Among the young, everyone feels that the Progressive Party (DPP, 民主 進步 黨) cares much more about their future than the Nationalist Party (KMT, 國民黨). This is at least the general idea. The KMT is seen as too slow in understanding the generational change taking place and far too tied to big corporations.

"For example, their slowness in understanding this was seen in the last election campaign - says Ann Wang (王小姐), 28, a hairdresser by profession – it took them weeks and months to select the new leaders. They gave the impression of not having a clear idea. How can a young person be attracted to a confused party? "

Her father also remembers the past: "Since the properties of who was in power before 2000, that is, the KMT (money and various types of assets, including a lot of real estate) still belong to the KMT, a lot are wondering if it is not the case to start looking into who they really are. There are still many people exploiting the glorious past of the KMT, its connections and its properties. But we must recognize that others, within the same party, such as Eric Chu (朱立倫), who was defeated in the last election by Tsai Ing-wen, is loved, and willing to dialogue. "

One thing that worries the youth is their future in the world of work. Sitting at the bar with Mr. Zhou 先生), 24, a step away from a degree in engineering, he tells us: "As for finding a job, Taiwan lags behind Korea and mainland China. Their governments have better understood the needs of young people, while the KMT was not worried about this, or has been unable to find convincing solutions. For this reason young people chose another government and another politics".

His friend, Mr. Chen (陳先生), who started up his own company a few years ago, intervened saying: "In addition, the DPP is preparing a bill to allow people to vote once they turn eighteen [Now you can vote only if you are 20]. Now the opportunity is in the hands of the DPP, Tsai Ing-wen, however, must be very good at not throw it to the wind, or in four years they will suffer the same fate as those who are now in government".
"Even the current president, Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), had broad support in 2008. But the support of today is no guarantee of support tomorrow. Now Tsai Ing-wen is preparing to fight on two fronts: to give a good old age to the elderly, which can create employment for young people, and at the same time finding ways to enable young people to have more children. The task is not easy but she focuses on long-term care for the elderly (長期 照顧) and new biotechnologies (生物 科技) ".

Ms Chou (仇 小姐), who teaches history and civic education in a secondary school in Taipei, is the proud host of a popular internet blog on political issues. She also touches on other sensitive issues: "One of the main problems is always the management of the relationship with the continent. Ms. Tsai is striving to reaffirm that her government will not damage the very good relations with Beijing. Unfortunately some branches of the tourism industry have already experienced a decline after the elections, even before the new government takes office. However, this was her area of ​​specialization during her studies in England (her thesis focused on skills in negotiations) so there is a lot of hope in her diplomatic capabilities".

I ask her to about the new elected president’s stand out feature: "Her main talent is her natural ability in working with different people, creating an atmosphere of calm and seriousness and her targeted analysis of the situation".
And as a woman? Does she feel better represented? "There are undoubtedly a lot of expectations about the fact that she is the first female president. Among the young people it recognizes the value of women in order to make important decisions. Even compared to 20 years ago there is a very different perception of the woman's capacity if placed in conditions conducive to work and not disadvantaged in their profession. Also the fact that women of value as Chen Chu (陳菊), who as mayor of Kaohsiung (高雄市 市長) is doing an excellent job, has opened the way for a woman can apply even to the Presidency of the country. I am a teacher and I can say that Tsai Ing-wen has better ideas than others, about the value of education in professional formation. In a recent meeting with a large group of high school students in Taipei [pictured], she encouraged the young people to nurture four things (四個 特質): curiosity (好奇心) willingness to risk (冒險) courage (勇敢) and radical change (叛逆). This shows the spirit in which she wants to throw herself into her new position, for all these reasons I think the Taiwanese population has chosen the best person for the challenges that await us in the coming years".

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