Reading between the lines it seems to me that Taiwanese political leadership may have forgotten to ask themselves this rather simple question;

What, exactly, would the average taiwanese benefit from risking their lives in behest of the political leadership?

You don't get second chances in life. You don't get a new body after you've been mangled. Or starved to death, as would be the likely scenario in a armed confrontation between China and Taiwan. Politicians would be fine as usual in their ivory towers.