After a week-long mob protest in front of the Presidential Office incited by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party Chairman James Soong(宋楚瑜), it is obvious that KMT leaders and their followers do not understand or do not want democracy. Instead, they wish they were still under the authoritarian regimes of former dictators Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and Chiang Ching-kuo(蔣經國) so they could declare the election invalid, nullify it and declare themselves the winners.
To the KMT, autocracy is always better than democracy. What a shame.
I was very surprised to learn that President Chen would be willing to sign a letter of consent to allow for an immediate recount without evidence of election fraud presented by the pan-blue camp ("Chen replies to pan-blue rally request," March 28, page 1). In a democratic country, even the president is not above the law and he must, in my opinion, obtain consent from the people who supported him because their rights should also be protected.
I hope Taiwan's High Court will not allow this to proceed. Evidence is the key to any legal challenge and procedure. And the KMT's army of lawyers, if they are competent, should not ignore the basic legal facts.
As Lien and Soong appealed their grievance to international reporters, many rally slogans were in English, such as "salvage democracy" or "democracy is dead," hoping to gain sympathy from the world media.
Fortunately, the international media and international opinion are mostly in support of Chen despite the KMT's propaganda machine.
Lien said his appeals were part of his heartfelt concern over the entire country's democratization. Surely he should know whose sacrifices gave birth to Taiwan's democracy. In the not too distant past, in an incident in Kaohsiung known as the "Formosa Incident," many DPP democratic activists were wrongfully jailed. Yet Lien, then minister of communications, and Soong, then director of the Government Information Office, never raised their voices against the unjust treatment of the activists. In fact, both Lien and Soong's contributions to Taiwan's democratic development have been rather insignificant, if not outright negative.
Lien and Soong said the crowds were out of their control during their massive rally. If so, are they fit to be the leaders if they have no control of their followers? You be the judge.
Kris Liao
California
Trying to force a partnership between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and Intel Corp would be a wildly complex ordeal. Already, the reported request from the Trump administration for TSMC to take a controlling stake in Intel’s US factories is facing valid questions about feasibility from all sides. Washington would likely not support a foreign company operating Intel’s domestic factories, Reuters reported — just look at how that is going over in the steel sector. Meanwhile, many in Taiwan are concerned about the company being forced to transfer its bleeding-edge tech capabilities and give up its strategic advantage. This is especially
US President Donald Trump last week announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on eight countries. As Taiwan, a key hub for semiconductor manufacturing, is among them, the policy would significantly affect the country. In response, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) dispatched two officials to the US for negotiations, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) board of directors convened its first-ever meeting in the US. Those developments highlight how the US’ unstable trade policies are posing a growing threat to Taiwan. Can the US truly gain an advantage in chip manufacturing by reversing trade liberalization? Is it realistic to
The US Department of State has removed the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence” in its updated Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, which instead iterates that “we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Strait.” This shows a tougher stance rejecting China’s false claims of sovereignty over Taiwan. Since switching formal diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China to the People’s Republic of China in 1979, the US government has continually indicated that it “does not support Taiwan independence.” The phrase was removed in 2022
US President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have each given their thoughts on Russia’s war with Ukraine. There are a few proponents of US skepticism in Taiwan taking advantage of developments to write articles claiming that the US would arbitrarily abandon Ukraine. The reality is that when one understands Trump’s negotiating habits, one sees that he brings up all variables of a situation prior to discussion, using broad negotiations to take charge. As for his ultimate goals and the aces up his sleeve, he wants to keep things vague for
RSS