This year is the 15th anniversary of the Czech people's overthrow of 41 years of communist rule. Taiwan has invited the internationally respected fighter for democracy and former president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel for a six-day stay, which began yesterday. We are glad to welcome Havel, whose outstanding contributions to democracy have set an example. We would also like to ask what lessons the country can learn by looking at Havel's experiences.
All his life, Havel has opposed communism. He was sent to prison three times because he would not compromise with the dictators, with sentences ranging from one year to four-and-a-half years. During his time as president, he refused to issue visas to Alexandr Lukashenko, president of Belarus and Leonid Kuchma, president of Ukraine, to attend a NATO meeting in Prague to discuss the 9/11 terror attacks, saying that he did not welcome dictators who violated human rights. His uncompromising and consistent moral courage made him the only incumbent leader of an Eastern European country who, after the region's peaceful revolution, did not visit China. Ignoring Chinese intimidation and pressure, he courageously met with the Dalai Lama, former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui (
On Nov. 17, the anniversary of the Czech Republic's "Velvet Revolution," the poet and writer Havel expressed his thoughts in a solemn and sincere article: "If democracy is emptied of values and reduced to a competition of political parties that have `guaranteed' solutions to everything, it can be quite undemocratic." He stressed that, "politics is not just a technology of power, but needs to have a moral dimension." He also called for us all to "ponder the meaning of moral behavior and free action."
There is no hiding the fact that although Taiwan has undergone three democratic presidential elections, party politics has still failed to stay completely on track. The main reason for this is that our political leaders do not have high principles or moral character. Havel's speech can serve as an example to us all. We must remind Taiwan's political parties, both large and small, that morality is the soul of a political party. We must not let lust for power make us stop at nothing to win, for then we lose our political principles. Neither should we speak or act carelessly, for otherwise we undermine our responsibility and harm the welfare of the people.
Ever since the March 20 election, the behavior of the opposition party has been disappointing. Since that time, how many opposition politicians have stood on Ketagalan Boulevard and made irresponsible and sensational statements to the media and the public?
Some have even sought to persuade the military to launch a "soft coup d'etat." After the elections most people in Taiwan actually hoped that the pan-blue camp could fulfill the role of a loyal opposition, and not simply oppose everything the government proposes -- thereby creating more conflict and confrontation in the legislature. But instead they have forgotten the moral responsibility that political parties and politicians owe to the people, the nation and society.
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) also has room for improvement. It should have a more humble attitude in the face of criticism from the opposition. The DPP represents Taiwan's indigenous political forces, and its rule is supported by huge public expectations and sacrifice. It has a responsibility to protect Taiwan's current democratic achievements, and internal corruption or any malign tendency to compromise with China will therefore be unforgivable.
Havel's experience can serve as an example for both ruling party and opposition politicians to emulate. His example shows us that politicians must not set aside morality and responsibility, and this is a lesson that Taiwan's politicians, at this stage of the country's democratic development, sorely need to learn.
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
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not