Since the US-Iraq war broke out, Taiwan's green and blue camps have turned into pro-US and pro-China factions respectively. They are now engaging in a "saliva war" almost as vehement as the war in Iraq. Unfortunately, the opposition camp is stopping at nothing to humiliate Chen Shui-bian's (
On the legislative floor, pan-blue legislators are hurling abuse at Chen for his support of the US war in Iraq, calling him a "toady of the Americans" and a "child-emperor." Although Chen's remarks have hardly been inappropriate, the opposition lawmakers overstepped the bounds of propriety with their insulting accusations. Such vitriol will not win any sympathy from the public. Taiwan now has freedom of speech, but the people of this country did not give their lawmakers the power to insult or vilify their president under any pretext. The opposition parties should seriously question and debate government policies instead of gossiping about the president's private affairs on the legislative floor. Such unwarranted abuse of the interpellation sessions simply turns the legislature into a national rumor mill.
Before the war broke out in Iraq, we heard Democratic members of the US Congress fiercely opposing Us president George W. Bush's plan to take military action. However, US Democrats never mounted a personal attack on their president or resorted to character assassination, no matter how much they disagreed with Bush. That's because they know that using their official power to humiliate the president is the equivalent of being disloyal to their country. Unless they are in fact loyal to another country, representatives of the people should not do that.
If more than one opposition lawmaker publicly claims on the floor of the legislature that their own president is the son of the US "emperor" and a lackey of the Americans, how can they also claim to respect the choices of the people of Taiwan? Was not the president democratically elected by the people of Taiwan? Such talk gives one the impression that these legislators would rather give their loyalty to another country and another head of state.
Everyone knows that next year's presidential election is drawing near. The chairman of the KMT, which was ousted from power only three years ago, and the chairman of the PFP, who narrowly lost the election at that same time, are now setting their sights on the posts of president and vice president. They are vowing to bring another transition of political power to Taiwan. From the perspective of democratic politics, everyone will accept the ultimate choice of the majority of the electorate. But we would like to ask the opposition parties not to be so base. It might give people the impression that the opposition is trying to assume power by trampling on the basic principles of democratic politics by defaming their political opponents.
We know that the Taiwanese electorate is not stupid. In the previous legislative elections, the voters dumped a large number of politicians who abused their power trying to humiliate and tarnish the head of state. This should have served as a valuable lesson to the opposition camp. We hope to see the KMT and the PFP play their appropriate role as opposition and show loyalty to their country, instead of siding with the regime in Beijing on every issue -- mere happenstance, to be sure -- and insulting their country's president.
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
RSS