Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
At such a crucial time for the future of the country, it is worth reminding the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that there has been a dangerous polarization of public opinion over these visits. The government must clearly state its stance on these trips in order to resolve the suspicions between rival camps and defuse potential confrontations.
Regrettably, President Chen Shui-bian (
A succession of opposition officials have visited China, meeting with a government that claims Taiwan is a part of its territory and that Taiwan's democratically elected government is nothing more than a regional government similar to those in Hong Kong and Macao. Faced with this situation, why is this nation's government doing nothing more than watching from the sidelines? Have the nation's leaders nothing to say and no policy to put forward as opposition officials engage in a dangerous farce with the other side of the Strait?
When a serious split occurs in domestic politics, the people have the right to demand the government engage with them and explain what measures it is taking and in what direction it is leading them. The efficacy of closed-door methods of resolving political crises is a myth. Successive US presidents have understood this and have engaged the public in "fireside talks" during which they reveal their thinking and help the people understand where the government is taking the country. Chen should consider a similar method.
Trying to deal with a political crisis by keeping the ruling party and its legislative caucus in the dark over party policy is absurd. Only by communicating with the people can the government reduce misunderstanding and friction between the public and the government. Only in this way can a situation in which a small number of politicians instigate violence between rival political camps be avoided. Chen should bear this in mind as the first anniversary of his second term in office approaches.
What worries the people of this country is that China could get involved in domestic politics through the KMT and the PFP. The opposition has long sought to impede the president, which would serve Beijing's political interests.
The pan-blue camp has long been making preparations for a bid to recall Chen, and there are even suggestions that members of the pan-green camp would not shrink from this course of action. Therefore, Chen must not hesitate to demonstrate his leadership and tell the people what he intends to do, instead of what he cannot do. Chen should not be afraid to rely on public opinion since the majority is strongly opposed to Beijing's efforts to ally itself with the opposition. Only in this way will the people fully accept Chen as their leader.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) has caused havoc with his attempts to overturn the democratic and constitutional order in the legislature. If we look at this devolution from the context of a transition to democracy from authoritarianism in a culturally Chinese sense — that of zhonghua (中華) — then we are playing witness to a servile spirit from a millennia-old form of totalitarianism that is intent on damaging the nation’s hard-won democracy. This servile spirit is ingrained in Chinese culture. About a century ago, Chinese satirist and author Lu Xun (魯迅) saw through the servile nature of
In their New York Times bestseller How Democracies Die, Harvard political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt said that democracies today “may die at the hands not of generals but of elected leaders. Many government efforts to subvert democracy are ‘legal,’ in the sense that they are approved by the legislature or accepted by the courts. They may even be portrayed as efforts to improve democracy — making the judiciary more efficient, combating corruption, or cleaning up the electoral process.” Moreover, the two authors observe that those who denounce such legal threats to democracy are often “dismissed as exaggerating or
Monday was the 37th anniversary of former president Chiang Ching-kuo’s (蔣經國) death. Chiang — a son of former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), who had implemented party-state rule and martial law in Taiwan — has a complicated legacy. Whether one looks at his time in power in a positive or negative light depends very much on who they are, and what their relationship with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is. Although toward the end of his life Chiang Ching-kuo lifted martial law and steered Taiwan onto the path of democratization, these changes were forced upon him by internal and external pressures,
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus in the Legislative Yuan has made an internal decision to freeze NT$1.8 billion (US$54.7 million) of the indigenous submarine project’s NT$2 billion budget. This means that up to 90 percent of the budget cannot be utilized. It would only be accessible if the legislature agrees to lift the freeze sometime in the future. However, for Taiwan to construct its own submarines, it must rely on foreign support for several key pieces of equipment and technology. These foreign supporters would also be forced to endure significant pressure, infiltration and influence from Beijing. In other words,
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