One thing about Taiwanese politics: It never disappoints.
Even in the remotest of areas, scandals and bagua can brew. The latest in a long string of scandalous episodes involves Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taitung County Commissioner Kuang Li-chen (鄺麗貞).
Kuang gained a reputation as a jet-setter after taking eight trips abroad in her two-and-a-half years in office at a cost to taxpayers of NT$10 million (US$320,000) or roughly NT$1.2 million per trip.
A little background is in order. Wu Chun-li (吳俊立), Kuang’s ex-husband, had been the KMT Taitung County commissioner, but after being found guilty of corruption and serving a jail sentence — he appealed, but it was overthrown — he could no longer serve as Taitung County commissioner.
Stymied in his efforts to serve as commissioner, he wanted to keep the lucrative position in the family and arranged for Kuang, his wife and a former airline stewardess, to succeed him.
Again the law stepped in — because of her relationship as his wife, Kuang was forbidden from running for office.
Not to worry. Now comes the interesting twist.
As her jailed husband was an impediment blocking her from running for office, Kuang quickly divorced him, qualifying her to run.
Allegedly the importance of family values is a high priority for Chinese and Taiwanese.
This is no doubt true for many, but for Kuang being county commissioner seemed to rank a tad higher on the value scale.
The convenience of this arrangement was approved by the KMT and their then party chairman, none other than Mr Clean and Family Values Man himself, Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Ma subsequently campaigned for her; after all, what is divorce when there is an office to be won?
And that is precisely what which Kuang did.
The plot thickens.
Taitung County has a population of around 240,000, while its largest city is Taitung, with a population of 40,000.
Primarily an agricultural county, it is not a prime travel spot, yet it does have some unique sites.
There is Green Island — the prison of choice for political prisoners during the KMT’s White Terror days, and Orchid Island, known for its unique Aboriginal culture that prizes flying fish.
Taitung is also far from being a rich county. Few families there could earn in one year what it cost for one of Kuang’s trips.
Undaunted, Kuang decided it was her duty to make Taitung known to the world. Purely out of love for her county she launched into eight junkets that would take her to Japan, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, Great Britain, Thailand, New Zealand, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
She would leave no stone unturned in letting the world know about Taitung.
So strong also were her family values that she took her mother and her former (divorced-so-she-could-get-into-office) husband along with her.
What dedication, what love! It was all at taxpayer expense, of course.
Kuang was quoted as saying: “No one sympathizes with Taitung, but I am willing to step up and fight for Taitung’s future.”
She had long considered Taitung an orphan among Taiwan’s counties. With a typhoon recently barreling down on it and devastation sure to follow, Kuang decided it was time to head for the airport for yet another trip abroad.
Such love and dedication, it was all done for Taitung’s future — its future debt that is.
Jerome Keating is a Taiwan-based writer.
Is a new foreign partner for Taiwan emerging in the Middle East? Last week, Taiwanese media reported that Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) secretly visited Israel, a country with whom Taiwan has long shared unofficial relations but which has approached those relations cautiously. In the wake of China’s implicit but clear support for Hamas and Iran in the wake of the October 2023 assault on Israel, Jerusalem’s calculus may be changing. Both small countries facing literal existential threats, Israel and Taiwan have much to gain from closer ties. In his recent op-ed for the Washington Post, President William
Taiwan-India relations appear to have been put on the back burner this year, including on Taiwan’s side. Geopolitical pressures have compelled both countries to recalibrate their priorities, even as their core security challenges remain unchanged. However, what is striking is the visible decline in the attention India once received from Taiwan. The absence of the annual Diwali celebrations for the Indian community and the lack of a commemoration marking the 30-year anniversary of the representative offices, the India Taipei Association and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center, speak volumes and raise serious questions about whether Taiwan still has a coherent India
A stabbing attack inside and near two busy Taipei MRT stations on Friday evening shocked the nation and made headlines in many foreign and local news media, as such indiscriminate attacks are rare in Taiwan. Four people died, including the 27-year-old suspect, and 11 people sustained injuries. At Taipei Main Station, the suspect threw smoke grenades near two exits and fatally stabbed one person who tried to stop him. He later made his way to Eslite Spectrum Nanxi department store near Zhongshan MRT Station, where he threw more smoke grenades and fatally stabbed a person on a scooter by the roadside.
Recent media reports have again warned that traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies are disappearing and might vanish altogether within the next 15 years. Yet viewed through the broader lens of social and economic change, the rise and fall — or transformation — of industries is rarely the result of a single factor, nor is it inherently negative. Taiwan itself offers a clear parallel. Once renowned globally for manufacturing, it is now best known for its high-tech industries. Along the way, some businesses successfully transformed, while others disappeared. These shifts, painful as they might be for those directly affected, have not necessarily harmed society
RSS