The National Assembly elections will take place in less than a month. Campaigning, however, is nonexistent. A recent opinion poll suggest that most voters don't know the election date -- May 14 -- and that half don't know what the elections are for, or what impact they will have. This is largely due to the media's obsession with the China trips by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
There have been some who have been trying to cool Lien and Soong's China fever. Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Opposition between localization and pro-China forces is building up again. Both sides are eloquent. The general public is unable to decide who is right and who is wrong, and neither side is capable of persuading the other. Perhaps the National Assembly elections could be seen as a vote of confidence, with the public deciding if Taiwan should continue to engage with, or distance itself from, China.
The assembly is being elected to vote on constitutional amendments to halve the number of legislative seats, adopting a single-member district, two-vote system for the legislative elections and abolishing the institution of the National Assembly.
Although President Chen Shui-bian (
If the political parties wish to increase the political significance of the assembly elections by turning them into a vote of confidence, the TSU and the PFP should begin by ending their technical obstruction and speed up the passage of the law governing the National Assembly's exercise of power (
Lien and Soong's trips to China are certain to be seen by Beijing as a great opportunity to promote its unification agenda and blur national consciousness in Taiwan. This is an important political issue for this country, not a judicial issue. Courts will not be able to determine if Lien and Soong's visits are the right thing to do. Only by bringing their ideas and actions to the public and letting the Taiwanese people as a whole decide if their political judgment and opinions go against the public's wishes will we get a clear answer to that question.
If the parties want to increase the significance of these neglected assembly elections as well as their own political responsibilities, they could do so by intensifying their campaigning. This would be a great opportunity to educate the public in civic politics, and the best way to resolve the conflict over constitutional amendments and China policies.
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
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