Twenty-five years ago, a group of death-defying tang-wai (outside the party) democracy activists organized a large demonstration in Kaohsiung City to call for democracy and freedom in Taiwan and demand that the government end martial law, lift the ban on establishing new newspapers, end the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion (動員戡亂時期臨時條款) and allow a comprehensive re-election of the legislature. Treating the demonstration as a riot, the government suppressed it and sent many of the participants to prison. It became a turning point for democracy in Taiwan -- the Kaohsiung Incident.
Today, 25 years later, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has returned to the site to hold another demonstration. The past democratic demands have now been implemented, making up the backbone of Taiwan's legal and political system. The tang-wai group founded the DPP and has now moved into government, and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) -- at the time one of the defense lawyers for the participants in the demonstration -- has become president. The persecutor, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), has splintered into the KMT, the People First Party (PFP), and the New Party and moved into opposition.
Has the passage of time brought full social justice? No. The KMT is still sitting on over NT$10 billion in party assets resulting from the party's past direct access to the national treasury, and it is still in possession of many media outlets and several enterprises that enjoy special privileges. Lien Chan (
Today, while standing in front of the ballot box, block out the noise of campaigns. Ignore the various deceptive statistics, vote allocation, and the dump-save strategy. Ignore the politician's tricks of "weeping, kneeling and buying votes," and think about which of the politicians in your district has stood out. Whose face do you remember? Whose political background and policy proposals have touched your heart? If you do not have a candidate in mind, then carefully consider the path traveled by democracy in Taiwan, the development of human rights, the contributions of the DPP and the role played by the KMT.
Think about how your life has been in recent years. If it hasn't matched your expectations, is this because the government hasn't worked hard enough on your behalf? Or is it because of obstruction of the government's policies, which has made progress very difficult? In the future, do you want a government that can really rule, or do you want a continuation of a situation in which the government is blocked by a powerful opposition? Do you want a future in which Taiwan consciousness will be emphasized? Or do you want to see Taiwan more and more reliant on China?
The answer should be clear. Taiwan needs a government that is in step with the wishes of the people, that is both efficient and has clear lines of accountability. If this is what we want, then give the green camp a clear majority.
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