當直選的統派總統發飆 范姜提昂（作者為台灣北社法政組副召集人） 春節前馬受訪，便已按耐不住，他火冒三丈！挑明說： 實權總統一人統天下，講究術，何謂術？韓非子：「術者， 一一二九以來可喜的是，社會認真思考國家體制問題，而就此角度， 一、現行體制以「定期改選」修正民主選舉之失誤； 二、由於當年蔣介石雖妥協，接受內閣制，卻死抓兵權不放；如今， 三、由於歷史性鬱卒，國人珍惜直選總統之象徵意涵， 四、值得注意的是，從直選前後的李總統到陳總統均屬獨派， 五、實權總統，事實證明無法成為國家團結象徵；當國政紛爭， Torn apart by presidential power By Christian Fan Jiang 范姜提昂 Prior to the Lunar New Year holiday, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) could no longer control his anger. Spelling it out, he stressed that he has more than a year left in office and that there is a lot he can still do, so there is no need to talk about a caretaker government, nor is there a lame duck problem. He even said: “I’ll fight back.” A powerful president who rules the land alone must pay attention to statecraft. According to Chinese philosopher Han Fei (韓非), statecraft “is hidden in the bosom and useful for comparing diverse motivating factors of human conduct and in manipulating the body of officials secretly.” In particular, when it comes to personal likes and dislikes, people should refrain from raising a ruckus. Everyone knows that Ma is not very fond of Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), but if you do not like someone, there is no need to make a big fuss over it. However, during the “September strife” episode in 2013, Ma took the lead in calling for Wang to be kicked out of the legislature, forcing everyone to choose sides. Ever since the nine-in-one elections in November last year, Taiwan has been engaged in a serious debate over the nation’s democratic system. From this point of view, Ma’s shortcomings in statecraft have resulted in chaos and there are a few points that need to be given some further thought. First, the current system has adjusted the democratic system by relying on regular elections. This is a mistake, because it has a negative effect. A system of regular elections is tantamount to a guaranteed period in office, regardless of how inept, shameless or lacking in statecraft a person is. Given the high threshold for recalls and impeachment proceedings — which are both intended to stabilize the political situation — we are forced to watch the president cause harm to the country and there is nothing we can do about it. Second, although Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) compromised and accepted a Cabinet system, he held on tightly to his power over the military. Today, the president controls not only the military, in practice he also controls the executive branch of government. The result is that Ma, despite his shortcomings in statecraft and his lame duck status, is more frightening than a lame duck US president and the small harm they might do, because Ma is unreasonable, stubborn and will not listen to anyone but himself. As the public and his confidants are turning against him, Ma’s shame is turning into anger and he is throwing all caution to the side. The current system has no mechanism for handling the negative consequences of character flaws. Third, for historical reasons, the public values the symbolism of a directly elected president, and it cannot be denied that every time voters have had enough of a president — who refuses to step down — the leader falls back on their status as a popularly and directly elected president, using it as a strong legitimate and legal shield, thus consolidating a systemic flaw that really should be addressed. Fourth, former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) were pro-independence presidents, governing the country for 20 years. Ma, on the other hand, is the first directly elected pro-unification president, and has governed the country for seven years. He is inept and lacks the required skills of statecraft. Who can possibly predict how the next directly elected pro-unification president will use the military power bestowed upon them and what kind of negative impact that might have on national sovereignty? Finally, a powerful president cannot also be a symbol of national unity. When the domestic political situation is in turmoil, such a president will not be seen as fair and impartial, but rather as partial and biased. For this reason, and because ultimate power is concentrated in the hands of one person, the country is torn apart once every four years. That one person comes either from the pan-blue or the pan-green camp and it will be difficult for them to be a unifying force. The question is: Will direct presidential elections reinforce this situation? That is a question worth giving further thought. Christian Fan Jiang is deputy convener of the Northern Taiwan Society’s legal and political group. Translated by Perry Svensson