A host of social problems arose before and after last month's presidential election. The greatest disappointment was the behavior of politicians and the media. With their usual sloppiness and irresponsible behavior, they kept repeating statements that have since been proven to be completely wrong. This destroyed the public's fundamental trust, and as a result people now show less friendship for each other. This further reinforces public distrust of politicians' statements and media reports. This damage to social relationships is a far more serious problem than the ethnic issue that everyone is talking about.
Taiwan enjoys freedom of expression, but that does not mean that legislators, party officials and media organizations have a legal right to cheat the public. In recent months, however, we have seen politicians and some media organizations collude to support one side in the election. Party officials and even wanted criminals have issued completely groundless information, which in turn has been given coverage by media organizations. The most frightening developments in this vicious election were probably the open letters published by Chen Yu-hao (
If all of these accusations were true, why did the attacks against the green camp end with the campaign? Looking back, the incident seems to have been planned by certain political forces as a political tool with which to attack President Chen Shui-bian (
These reporters didn't verify the allegations or question their credibility as professionalism demands. These media cannot say today that they also were victims of the Chen Yu-hao incident. They were blinded by their political opinions and decided to dance to his magic flute, and abandoned professionalism to help this scoundrel achieve his goal.
During the conflicts following the election, although a recount has yet to carried out, opposition leaders have flippantly lashed out at the president, accusing him of vote-rigging and cheating the nation. If the recount results verify the blue camp's defeat, how are these critics going to face the public they divided with their misleading propaganda?
The inquiries into the shooting of the president and Vice President Annette Lu (
Without evidence, politicians and media must not repeatedly spread suspicion. Moreover, media organizations should not only disseminate information; they also should enable their audiences to evaluate the accuracy of the information they provide. Taiwan's lawmakers, party leaders and media are all responsible for doing their duties in a moral, legal and professional manner. If they weren't, they would destroy democracy.
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
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
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