Once again we are graced with People First Party Chairman James Soong's (宋楚瑜) desperate efforts to try to gain the media spotlight and keep open his faltering chances to run for the presidency in 2008.
Now Soong wants to be able to debate the president regularly on his position, ideas and attitudes toward China and Taiwan.
True, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has a responsibility to the people to indicate his agenda, which was done when he put forth his platform for the recent presidential elections. At that time both Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and Soong had their chances to debate Chen.
After the election is decided, how-ever, the president does not have an obligation to continue debating with the legislature or any Tom, Dick or Harry who wants to gain the spotlight.
If Soong is eager for a debate, I suggest another topic. Let him debate his fitness to be a representative of Taiwanese democracy, whether in the legislature or in any position, after his notorious record as head of the Government Information Office (GIO) and his bilking the country out of millions of dollars -- which he allegedly used to purchase numerous properties in the US and elsewhere.
He can also debate his GIO record with any of the people who suffered imprisonment, torture or other violations of their rights during the Kaohsiung Incident and the period following it. At that time it was Soong's job to justify, excuse, and put a positive spin on the one-party totalitarian state's continued suppression of the nation's democratic movement.
As for his subsequent profiteering from his political offices and black gold, he can debate that with any concerned taxpayers. Clear up the past before you ask us to give you any consideration for the future.
Jerome Keating
Taipei
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS