To counteract the Democratic Progressive Party's accusations that the opposition's threatened boycott of the March 20 referendum is really an objection to Taiwan's democratic consolidation, the pan-blue camp has changed its position from "not opposing the referendum" to "questioning the legality and necessity of President Chen Shui-bian's (
Led by Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Article 17 of the Referendum Law (
In this regard, whether the handling of the referendum meets the criteria set by the article is up to the president's political judgment. The voters will have the final say about it.
The opposition's claim that Chen has violated the Referendum Law is by no means logical. Moreover, to portray Chen's move as an attempt to abuse Article 17 is also without legitimate grounds. Remember, it was the opposition, which dominates the Legislative Yuan, that passed the Law.
The Chen administration has repeatedly reminded Taiwanese people and the international community of the inherent danger of China's missile deployment and military expansion. This is a fact not only faced by Taiwan but also widely recognized by others, including the US.
The main concern from the pan-blue camp centers on the extent to which the threat has become "a clear and present danger" that meets the criteria for holding a defensive referendum. While Ma and his colleagues argue that the country has been under military threat from China for half a century but has never been in a state of emergency, they overlook that fact that there was no legal basis for holding a referendum in the past.
Taiwan simply cannot wait until external threats become imminent. Therefore, the pan-blue camp's ignorance of China's military threat displays a huge lack of responsibility.
When it comes to the second condition -- whether national sovereignty is under threat -- the pan-blue camp should take more responsibility for failing to deter China's international saber-rattling on Taiwan's statehood.
The KMT's long-term adherence to its "one China" fantasy has resulted in the Republic of China's (ROC) exclusion from the UN and other key international organizations. When the world community confused the ROC with the People's Republic of China and gradually started to treat Taiwan as part of China, shouldn't we have been worried about Taiwan's sovereignty being sabotaged?
In the face of Taiwanese leaders' push for a democratic referendum, Beijing has incorporated a new strategy of uniting its allies to isolate the Chen administration. What are they aiming for?
Can't anyone from the pan-blue camp see the scheme in the Chinese leaders' minds? Beijing's strategy is to create an international image that Taiwan' affairs are China's internal affairs.
To show a firm determination to safeguard Taiwan's national interests, Lien and the pan-blue camp owe the voters a fair explanation of why they intend to block the March referendum.
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
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
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS