TPP letting voters down
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and its chairman, Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), have turned their backs on the party’s younger supporters, with its legislators acting as lackeys for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Last year, TPP legislator-at-large Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) quit the New Power Party, which he founded, to join the TPP. The switch contradicted Huang’s original stand against the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement and confused New Power Party and TPP supporters.
Luckily for them, the TPP secured eight seats in the legislature and plays a key role in decisionmaking, as neither the KMT nor the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won an outright majority.
However, what did these key players do?
When deciding on a legislative speaker, none of the TPP’s lawmakers voted for any of the KMT or DPP nominees, while at the same time saying they would assess candidates’ support for transparency and oversight reforms.
Consequently, the KMT’s nominee, Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), was elected speaker.
TPP legislators abstained from a vote on pension reform on the reconsideration of a KMT proposal, resulting in it proceeding to a review.
However, rolling back pension reform would increase the burden on younger generations, as under the bill retired public officials, teachers and military personnel would be eligible for a monthly pension stipend of NT$70,000.
As for the legislative reforms, Huang abstained from a vote when the KMT motioned to adjourn a meeting in which the DPP’s proposed reforms to the legislature were supposed to be reviewed.
In these cases, the TPP should have held the key to the passage or rejection of policies.
However, the party has done nothing but abstain from voting.
Pension reform concerns young Taiwanese, but the TPP, as a so-called representative of younger voters, has not dared speak out on it.
Ko has said that pension reform is not an issue with a yes or no answer, sidetracking the party’s young supporters by hiding the truth that he does not intend to stick up for their rights.
Young Taiwanese have been duped by Ko and Huang.
The two have been talking nonsense to solicit more support from younger voters. TPP legislators skipped voting, giving essential approval to every policy the KMT put forth.
The truth is that the “white” camp is not a neutral electoral force. Younger voters have probably woken up by now and feel regret.
Ko has said that the pan-blue and pan-green camps are rotten, but he himself has often gone back on his word and has spoken well of them just to win more votes.
Now, his legislators have become bootlickers for the blue camp and are forming an alliance with KMT Legislator and caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁).
Lin Han
Taipei
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