Since President MA Ying-jeou (馬英九) stepped down as chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the party and the nation are no longer governed by the same leader. Ma leads the nation, whereas the KMT’s new leader, New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), heads the party. Ma’s practical influence is greatly reduced, and even invitations for him to appear at important events around the nation have greatly decreased. Political power has clearly shifted toward the legislature, and the man who now receives the most invitations is Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平).
This result should not come as a surprise. Ma abused his presidential powers to cook up a story and accuse Wang of improper lobbying in an attempt to expel him from the party, which would have entailed the loss of his position as speaker. The move met with unexpected opposition and now more than 40 KMT lawmakers and 20 members of the KMT Central Standing Committee have signed a petition asking that the lawsuit aimed at the termination of Wang’s party membership be withdrawn. How many other people in Taiwan’s political arena are capable of pulling off something like this?
Chu is a shrewd politician and is mentored by his father-in-law, former Taiwan Provincial Assembly speaker Kao Yu-jen (高育仁) — also a savvy operator. Chu knows that his political power and that of his people depends on the legislature, and that their survival relies on Wang. Hence, the withdrawal of the lawsuit against Wang is only a matter of time and methodology.
That Wang has gone from almost having his KMT membership revoked to becoming the darling of the party, and from being accused of improper lobbying to (as rumor has it) preparing to run for president while also bringing Chu into the fold, shows that Wang has managed to turn his fortunes around quite dramatically. Now he could either take another step forward and run for the presidency, or he could take a step back and retain his speakership. The formation of a coalition between Chu and Wang is the logical result.
Chu now has a firm grip on the party’s assets and the right to nominate candidates for major elections. His most important political strength resides in the legislature. Since, in his opinion, the reason the KMT failed miserably in last year’s nine-in-one local elections is that the KMT lost touch with the public, he might just as well let the legislature reflect public opinion and operate independently from Ma by using the legislature to lead Ma, instead of covering up for Ma’s corrupt administration.
Ma is inept, but he and his people have controlled Taiwan and reaped the benefits for six years. As a result, the KMT suffered a terrible defeat in the elections and the numerous misfortunes that followed. Ma’s dream of a unified Republic of China under the rule of the KMT is more improbable than a unified China under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
Without the KMT chairmanship, Ma is no longer the person that Xi wants to deal with. After the elections, only one city and five counties are left under Ma’s control. His kingdom is now surrounded by cities and counties governed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The media that used to worship him are now realizing their important role in independently monitoring the government, and their capability to probe is mightier than that of the DPP.
So Ma, who now has nothing left but the title of president, has all the time in the world, and is using it to protect his reputation and to sue the media. How much longer can Ma and his kingdom stay alive?
James Wang is a media commentator.
Translated by Ethan Zhan
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS