Reform Party (Taiwan 6.0)

## Reform Party

The Reform Party is a large, populist organization that is currently led by President Yoshirō Koizumi since his election in 1994. The party has achieved popular support for its role in the Orchid Protests which led to the stripping of English literacy requirements for voter registration and the expansion of universal voting rights to all citizens over 18. The party advocates for a stronger central government that can guide the economy and promote stronger economic growth and prosperity for all Taiwanese-Ryukyuans.

## History

The Reform Party was organized from the remnants of the defunct Democratic Party as well as independent left-leaning members of the Senate and the Veteran's Party in 1963, with the intent to compete against the growing National Party. Their first major success came in the 1968 and 1970 elections, with Reform Party representation for the first time in the House of Representatives and Senate, respectively.

The Reform Party has historically been greatly affected by policies aimed at promoting social stability and for a long time was consigned to the role of token opposition. Stifled by frequent arrests, crackdowns, and extensive partisan gerrymandering, the party nonetheless slowly gained a base of voters among the non-white populations of the Federation. The marginalization of the party has forced it to seek support among other non-mainstream social organizations, leading to some allegations of links with indigenous organized crime organizations in Taiwan and in Ryukyu, with several members of the House of Representatives being indicted and jailed in the 1970s for such links.

Early methods of the Reform Party included the founding of the English Institute, which promoted literacy among indigenous Taiwanese and Ryukyuan populations. In the mid 1980s, the party began gaining ground on the National Party, taking advantage of two significant corruption scandals and general economic malaise. This culminated in the 1987-1988 Summer Orchid Protests, which saw the passing of the Voter's Rights Acts and the expansion of suffrage to all citizens. The 1990 elections saw the Reform Party form a majority coalition with the Xindang in the House of Representatives and elect a Speaker of the House for the first time. This was followed in 1994 by the election of the first Reform Party president, Yoshirō Koizumi, thanks to unprecedented voter turnout in Taiwan.

## Ideology

The Reform Party is primarily populist, aligning itself with the "people" of the Federation, usually the poor and indigenous sections of the population - as opposed to the elite, white, and Christian National Party. Individual members might have a myriad of different ideological positions as a consequence, reflecting local constituencies, but there are some broad ideological consistencies within the party.

First, the Reform Party criticizes the economic stagnation of the country caused by "bankers" and "oligarchs", and supports the expansion of state power to curtail monopolies, and play a leading role in promoting economic growth. Drawing inspiration from figures in pre-war Japan and Franklin Roosevelt, the Reform Party aims to establish a developmental state and encourage tripartism.

The Reform Party additionally positions itself as racially progressive, seeking to increase equity between the indigenous population and the historically richer white elites and Hafu populations. The support affirmative action programs in universities, as well as social welfare policies aimed at addressing economic ills.

Beyond that, it is difficult to describe a consistent ideology. The Reform Party is typically socially conservative, reflecting the traditional attitudes of many Taiwanese and Ryukyuans. The Reform Party has many links with traditional social organizations, including Yakuza and Triads, and at the local level is often a defender of these traditional hierarchies, gender roles, and beliefs.