It is said that a set of broken bowls and plates are hanging on one of the walls in the home of an eminent older Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member in Yilan. According to the story, during the dangwai (黨外, “outside the party”) era, many of the leaders of what would later become the DPP met in this house to discuss the movement’s direction.
During one discussion, the argument became so heated that the plates and bowls on the table were broken. However, no matter how heated the argument, when the beer came out after the meeting, everyone was happy, and they kissed and made up because they all knew it was nothing personal.
There are many versions of this story, and I have heard them more times than I can remember. Every time I hear the story, I think of it as a distant legend about the “charming DPP” that one was, and when I compare it to the present “detested DPP” — now the nation’s biggest party — and I am filled with regret.
Former premier William Lai (賴清德) recently upset the political landscape when he announced that he would take part in the DPP’s presidential primary. However, this is precisely what is so charming about party politics: There must be arguments over direction and policy, and between spokespeople.
Politicians promote their views in the battle with other politicians, and then let party members or the whole electorate decide who they prefer. This process is an important link in the development of democratic politics.
That Taiwanese politics has come this far is the result of democracy, and it is something that all voters should celebrate.
Over the next few weeks, the core ideals, values and attack routines expressed throughout the internal party debate will reveal policy planning and implementation abilities to party members and the general public.
It is time for the DPP to set a good example by allowing the free democratic expression of wills and ideas, fighting without resorting to dirty tricks, debating instead of quarreling and reconciling after the fight.
This is a sign of political intelligence and wisdom and is how true democracy is safeguarded.
It would also be a good way to teach the KMT to put an end to palace intrigues and the pretense that it is in charge. That is a trick that does not work anymore.
Teng Ming-hung is a lecturer at Yilan Community University.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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