During a meeting with American friends from the Brookings Institution on Tuesday, President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen chose Dec. 10 because it is International Human Rights Day. There is great significance behind choosing that day as the starting date. The designation of an International Human Rights Day was a major milestone in the history of political evolution. It was an indication of the transition from "God-given imperial power" to "God-given human rights." Humanity's political thinking has evolved into referendums commonly accepted by civilized
societies.
Starting the democratic engineering project of creating a constitution on International Human Rights Day is in the spirit of the UN's human-rights efforts. It has the effect of strengthening democratic values and inspiring people living in authoritarian nations such as China. It is an act that deserves the support and blessing of all countries around the world that support democratic values.
By setting a date, Chen has indicated that the referendum legislation, an issue that the blue and green camps have been wrangling over, must be concluded before that time. The legislation will serve as a legal basis for referendums. Since the people want to promote a new constitution by way of a referendum, this legislation must not be the "bird-cage" version proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) - People First Party (PFP) alliance. The people must act to prevent the emergence of a referendum law that would actually restrict their freedoms, of legislation that would be a remake of martial law.
The people of Taiwan need to be on alert about the blue camp's attempts to use the referendum legislation to toady to China and restrict the people's power.
The current Constitution of the Republic of China (ROC)was never really implemented. It was enacted for China in 1947. When former president Chiang Kai-shek's (
The Constitution remains anachronistic even though it was amended six times during former president Lee Teng-hui's (
This Constitution is just as ridiculous as the "map of the ROC" that includes the PRC and the Republic of Mongolia.
Exiled Chinese dissident Cao Chang-qing (
The people want to know why such anachronisms as outdated maps and irrelevant constitutions still exist as well. They should insist that these anachronisms be eliminated.
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