What a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black!
Wang Weiming ("Laughable and pathetic," April 30, page 8) charges that the pan-greens are making dangerous accusations, while failing to mention that since March 20 the pan-blues have indulged in much contemptible character assassination as well as repeated attempts to create Haiti-style civil unrest ("revolution," they call it).
The beauty of democracy is that citizens are free to question their leaders. However, in light of the post-election uproar, have we not seen affable pan-green politicians and supporters humbly accept a ballot recount and further in-vestigations into the attempted assassinations?
Where can you find another world leader who, after an attempt on his life, is assumed guilty and forced by his nation to "please explain why you were shot?"
Yet President Chen Shui-bian (
Can anyone deny that Chen's holding out of the olive branch has availed him little thus far? The pan-blues' bitterness at their defeat has marred their respect for the judicial system and raised questions about their judgment and morality. Are the rest of us also free to question the pan-blues' intentions and acerbic tone?
While there is always room for improvement, Chen included, let us look at both sides of the argument with greater objectivity. Upholding democratic principles means that however free we may be to question our leaders, we must also respect the courts' ability to honor our legal codes with due process. Failing this, we fail democracy.
Insinuating that leaders can bypass the laws and judicial processes is surely not conducive to the spirit of democracy. The pan-blues would do better to point their accusing fingers at those who harbor such dangerous and illegal notions.
Currently I see no indications of political turmoil or democracy going "backward," as some former tyrants continue to claim.
Respected international commentators and global leaders alike have lauded Taiwan's democracy as true and functioning, particularly in light of the capable handling of the pan-blues' post-March 20 enmity.
My fellow Taiwanese would certainly do better for our young democracy by placing more faith in our nation and its laws.
Jennifer Chen
Australia
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