In recent weeks the government dragged its feet on a number of issues, including allegations that former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) lied about her US citizenship, toxic pollution in Chaoliao (潮寮) Village and uncertainty over the implementation of International Accounting Standards Statement No. 10.
A consequence of the government’s failure to deal with these problems promptly is that they became worse and hurt the image of the government in the process.
Let us consider the case of Lee’s suspected dual citizenship. More than 300 days have passed since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presented evidence that she is a US citizen. Lee maintains that she gave up her US citizenship upon making a loyalty oath to the Republic of China (ROC) when she became a public servant. However, her behavior was in sharp contrast with many US citizens who have returned to Taiwan to take up civil service posts in central or local governments. Unlike Lee, those people renounced their US nationality at US representative offices precisely because they did not assume that taking up an official ROC position automatically led to loss of US citizenship.
If, as Lee asserts, assuming office leads to automatic loss of US citizenship, then why was she so relentless in her interrogation of then-Taipei deputy mayor Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟) of the DPP on whether he was a US citizen?
Meanwhile, the KMT and the government went against their better judgment by tolerating and protecting her. They could have forced her to follow the law and resign as a legislator. Instead, they allowed the case to drag on, sowing controversy and confrontation, much to the annoyance of the public.
As for the toxic fumes in the Tafa Industrial District (大發工業區), a visit by the Environmental Protection Administration minister failed to find a culprit. Instead, the minister threw a smokescreen at legislators — who, we must remember, were elected to monitor the government — saying it would be impossible to find a guilty party and immediately eliminate the source of the problem. Adding insult to injury, he also derided the dean of a nearby school for having what he described as overly developed olfactory senses.
The government lacks crisis management skills and fails to understand the needs — and fears — of the public.
Finally, the Presidential Office’s group of economic advisers unexpectedly and inexplicably suggested a few days ago that the implementation of International Accounting Standards Statement No. 10 would have to be delayed. Late last year, the statement was vigorously discussed in business, accounting and investor circles. It was also appraised twice by the Financial Supervisory Commission, which conducted an in-depth assessment before announcing that it should be implemented according to schedule.
The suggested postponement on the eve of implementation risks creating problems for the Cabinet, ministries and the stock market. It could also cause public apprehension and damage Taiwan’s international image.
These incidents are only some examples of the government’s delayed response mechanism and its inability to understand important issues. The government and the KMT keep harping on about public suffering without understanding the root causes of that pain or doing anything to remedy the situation.
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