The superiority of expertise is often used to defend the non-democratic mentality of the ruling elite. It prevents debates between different groups and stymies a sense of civic responsibility in the public. Rapid economic development has been a policy focus of the government for several decades. It has brought prosperity while creating huge untold environmental damage and complaints. The elite can hardly be blameless.
Public opinion is naturally subject to manipulation, but so are experts, politicians and the media.
Distrust of public opinion suggests an underlying belief in the public's irrationality. Using images derived from mass psychology, public participation is distorted into little more than sloganeering, by ambitious politicians and symbolic politics. Perhaps the fear is related to the lack of issues in Taiwan's elections and the carnival atmosphere surrounding them. But a plebiscite has been proposed precisely because elections, at present, do not permit an open, public debate on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant. For a plebiscite to work, political parties and social groups must encourage experts with different opinions to submit alternative plans so that the public can make an informed choice.