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.
It is employment pass renewal season in Singapore, and the new regime is dominating the conversation at after-work cocktails on Fridays. From September, overseas employees on a work visa would need to fulfill the city-state’s new points-based system, and earn a minimum salary threshold to stay in their jobs. While this mirrors what happens in other countries, it risks turning foreign companies away, and could tarnish the nation’s image as a global business hub. The program was announced in 2022 in a bid to promote fair hiring practices. Points are awarded for how a candidate’s salary compares with local peers, along
China last month enacted legislation to punish —including with the death penalty — “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists.” The country’s leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), need to be reminded about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has said and done in the past. They should think about whether those historical figures were also die-hard advocates of Taiwanese independence. The Taiwanese Communist Party was established in the Shanghai French Concession in April 1928, with a political charter that included the slogans “Long live the independence of the Taiwanese people” and “Establish a republic of Taiwan.” The CCP sent a representative, Peng
Japan and the Philippines on Monday signed a defense agreement that would facilitate joint drills between them. The pact was made “as both face an increasingly assertive China,” and is in line with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “effort to forge security alliances to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea,” The Associated Press (AP) said. The pact also comes on the heels of comments by former US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who said at a forum on Tuesday last week that China’s recent aggression toward the Philippines in
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announced that the military would hold its annual Han Kuang exercises from July 22 to 26. Military officers said the exercises would feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure. This year’s exercises underline the recent reforms in Taiwan’s military as it transitions from a top-down command structure to one where autonomy is pushed down to the front lines to improve decisionmaking and adaptability. Militaries around the world have been observing and studying Russia’s war in Ukraine. They have seen that the Ukrainian military has been much quicker to adapt to