KMT deepens wounds
On Monday, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) dominated the Legislative Yuan and passed amendments to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), effectively stripping Taiwanese of their right to recall public officials. This move has sparked widespread controversy. The legislative process was marked by its authoritarian nature, completely bypassing other parties and public scrutiny. Notably, no Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators were present, and the KMT used its majority to force the bill through.
This event is reminiscent of the infamous 2014 incident when then-KMT legislator Chang Ching-chung (張慶忠) declared the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement reviewed and approved in just three minutes.
However, this time the severity of the KMT’s actions is even greater. The recall right is a fundamental tool of democratic participation, allowing citizens to hold elected officials accountable. By unilaterally changing the law, the KMT has weakened this critical mechanism, undermining the nation’s democratic foundations.
The KMT’s actions not only bolster internal anti-democratic forces, but also risk undermining international confidence in the nation’s democratic progress. While this maneuver ostensibly secures the KMT’s political interests, it ultimately erodes the cohesion Taiwan needs to resist external threats.
Taiwanese must remain vigilant against this erosion of democratic values. Now more than ever, it is crucial to raise our voices and stand firm in protecting the democratic mechanisms that form the backbone of our society.
To-Sin-liong
Tainan
Opposition hurting democracy
A preliminary review of draft amendments to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) by a legislative committee was scheduled for Monday. The amendments focus on the threshold for recall votes — they would require petitioners to submit copies of their national ID cards and add a provision that “a recall vote must have more votes than the official received when elected.” There was no consensus between the ruling and opposition parties and intense debates are imminent.
However, on Monday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators used their numerical advantage to occupy the committee, blocking Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators from entering. KMT legislators even resorted to physically attacking DPP legislators and forcibly brought “deliberative staff” into the meeting room. The review was completed in one minute and passed through the committee without proper discussion or deliberation.
Ten years ago, then-KMT Legislator Chang Ching-chung (張慶忠) forcibly passed a review of the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement in just 30 seconds amid conflict between KMT and DPP legislators within a legislative committee. This event triggered the rise of the Sunflower movement — the largest mass demonstration in Taiwan since democratization — marking the beginning of the KMT’s decline. Today, it is clear that the KMT has not only failed to learn its lesson, but its legislators’ behavior has also grown worse.
The irony is that the KMT and TPP, who have been championing “legislative reform,” are now undermining procedural justice and eliminating diverse opinions to avoid all possibility of being recalled by the public. This entirely contravenes the “committee centrism” that TPP caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) so strongly touts. The public can see through the hypocrisy — the KMT and TPP’s so-called “legislative reform” is nothing but a sham eroding the very foundation of Taiwan’s democracy.
Wang Chia-wei
Taipei
Chiang bowing to CCP
Days ago, three elderly Taiwanese members of the I-Kuan Tao (Yiguandao) religious group were unlawfully arrested by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in China’s Guangdong Province. Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) called on Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) to use the Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum as an opportunity to urge China to release them.
Saving lives is an inherently good cause, so it was shocking when the Taipei City Government responded so fiercely, asking if it should be expected to take over management of the SEF.
Taipei City Councilor Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) escalated the issue by threatening to cut the SEF’s budget. The SEF said that — even if the KMT does not dare to protest the arrests, as it wants to earn the CCP’s favor — resorting to sarcasm and taunting one’s own people is self-demeaning and would only sow internal chaos.
Human rights and religious freedom are universal values. The CCP arbitrarily arrested Taiwanese I-Kuan Tao members in their 70s and 80s, severely infringing upon human rights protections and the principles of religious freedom. Anyone with an inkling of free and democratic values should support efforts to save these people and condemn the CCP’s atrocities. The Taipei City Government’s evasive, immoral, misleading and aggressive response is truly astonishing.
Many CCP officials from Shanghai attended the Twin City Forum, and Chiang should have used the “exchange” meetings to directly express the Taiwanese government and public’s concerns over the arrest and detainment of the Taiwanese I-Kuan Tao members. This would be a positive and constructive move for the nation, society, and the public — so, how could the Taipei City Government deflect like this? Should it not be on the same side?
Prior to his election, Chiang announced that the forum would be held on the pretense that China no longer harasses Taiwan, shows goodwill toward the nation, and acknowledges that Taiwan and China are equals. Not only has he completely abandoned these principles, but he has continuously bowed to China, allowing the CCP to dictate all terms while he meekly complies. His behavior is truly concerning.
Chi An-hsiu
Taipei
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