The president is chosen by the people and only has to respond to public opinion. When the president is engaged in dialogue with the public, the media should stay out of the matter.
The pan-blue camp gave 10 reasons for its campaign to recall President Chen Shui-bian (
In his televised response, Chen did not sidestep any of these issues. Rather, he defended himself by using hard facts and history to show that his accusers were applying stricter standards to him than for themselves.
Chen evoked memories of the Chiang family's dictatorship, for the period was not that long ago and still torments Taiwanese. Tailor-made for the Chiang regime and amended by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the Constitution is the source of the nation's chaos, he said. Using hard data and international ratings, he rebutted accusations that the nation is in an economic slump.
He responded to the allegations of corruption by reiterating that everyone is equal before the law and that crimes committed by his relatives or aides would not be covered up. Regarding the Sogo voucher scandal which has been a focus of breathless media attention but remains unsupported by fact, Chen said repeatedly that he would step down if his wife Wu Shu-jen (
Chen dealt with the routine accusations against his aides by dealing with each and every one of them individually. He said that it is difficult to prevent one's staff from slipping up or sparking controversy, but that it is unethical and unfair to say that every such incident implies administration-wide corruption.
He also said that the smear campaign against Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng (
In response to the accusation that Chen should be held responsible for undermining US-Taiwan relations, Chen asked the public to review the latest remarks made by American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt. He said that the true diplomatic setback occurred with Chiang Kai-shek's (
Chen stressed that Beijing constantly suppresses Taiwan on the diplomatic front, regardless of the party of Taiwanese officials. For example, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
Chen can never compromise on clean governance and should candidly face any allegations and not seek to cover up any wrongdoing. He must do his level best to govern the nation, and when the nation faces difficulties, he must insist on Taiwan's view. If he does, he will enjoy public support.
Chen Gau-tzu is deputy director of the Northern Taiwan Society.
Translated by Daniel Cheng
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