Aging & Wisdom Quote by Chen Shui-bian

A two-part promise dressed up as procedural housekeeping, Chen Shui-bian’s line is really about rebalancing what citizenship costs - and what it empowers. Lowering the voting age from 20 to 18 widens the democratic aperture at the exact moment Taiwan was still consolidating its post-authoritarian identity. It’s an appeal to a cohort with the least nostalgia for one-party rule and the most stake in a future defined by globalization, identity politics, and an ever-present China question. Eighteen isn’t just a number; it’s a bid to enlist youth as a political constituency before they drift into apathy or cynicism.

Pairing that with “gradually implement” voluntary service is the rhetorical tell. Chen signals reform without picking an immediate fight with the national security establishment, families anxious about readiness, or voters who see conscription as a civic equalizer. “Gradually” functions as a pressure-release valve: it implies inevitability while deferring the messy tradeoffs (budget, manpower, training quality) that voluntary forces demand.

The subtext is a redefinition of the social contract. Conscription is a blunt instrument of state power - a reminder that the nation can literally claim your body. Moving toward voluntarism modernizes the state’s relationship to citizens, nudging Taiwan toward a liberal-democratic norm where service is incentivized rather than coerced. Put together, the proposal tries to square a difficult circle: expand political rights to younger citizens while making the burdens of citizenship feel less compulsory. It’s reform as coalition-building: empower the young, reassure the anxious, and brand constitutional change as “progress” rather than rupture.