Mon, Apr 21, 2025 page3

• KMT, TPP to hold opposition leaders’ meeting

  CHECKS AND BALANCES: The KMT and TPP said Lai’s administration was eroding judicial independence, while the DPP said the opposition threatened democracy

  • By Liu Wan-lin, Lin Che-yuan and Esme Yeh / Staff reporters, with staff writer
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  The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) are to hold an opposition leaders’ meeting tomorrow morning, with KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) to attend, both parties confirmed yesterday.

  The meeting would focus on “returning democracy to Taiwan,” they said.

  Although it has been nearly a year since President William Lai (賴清德) took office, societal friction continues, national infrastructure developments have halted and few changes have been made to address the international situation, the KMT said in a statement.

  

  Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu, center, speaks at an event in Taipei yesterday.

  Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times

  The government must promptly address the international political and economic situation, as the clock is ticking for Taiwan amid the US-China tariff war, it said.

  The opposition parties must implement legislative reforms to enhance the legislature’s supervisory powers, and reinforce checks and balances to prevent a dictatorship, it said.

  The KMT said that judicial authorities have targeted opposition lawmakers with large-scale searches of their offices and residences.

  

  Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang speaks at a party team-building event in Taipei on Saturday.

  Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times

  Under the administration of Lai, former Taipei mayor and TPP chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has been detained on graft allegations, and KMT employees, volunteers and supporters have been detained and questioned, it said, calling the actions a crackdown on opposition forces.

  The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has eroded judicial independence, creating a chilling effect on Taiwanese, the KMT said, urging people to unite to “return democracy to Taiwan.”

  The goal of the opposition leaders’ meeting is to help the country find a way out of the current situation, it said.

  It is “inevitable” that the KMT would seek to enhance its cooperation with the TPP, Chu said.

  Aside from continued cooperation between the opposition parties, matters beneficial to the country would also be discussed, he added.

  Separately, the TPP said that most Taiwanese would not agree that the Lai administration has demonstrated the attitude and competence of a responsible government.

  The governing party has provoked hatred and created conflict to divert attention from its poor performance, while using the judicial system as a means of political score-settling, it said.

  A dialogue between opposition forces is urgently necessary to deal with the governing party, the TPP said, urging opposition leaders to find common ground and facilitate social cohesion.

  The leaders at tomorrow’s meeting would discuss challenges facing the country, such as international tariffs and judicial reform, the party said.

  Huang said the opposition cannot just sit by and do nothing when unstable domestic politics are harming people and trampling judicial justice.

  The TPP would adhere to Ko’s political belief: “We have different pasts and the same present, and what we should think about is whether or not we will deal with common challenges together,” Huang said.

  DPP spokeswoman Han Ying (韓瑩) said that it was the opposition parties that were trampling democracy and the rule of law.

  The KMT and the TPP are the most ineligible to talk about democracy, she said, urging the opposition to end the partisan fighting and stop attacking judicial credibility or disrupting the constitutional and political system.

  Lai has been steadfast in governing the country and has been addressing US tariff policies to safeguard Taiwan’s economy amid global changes, Han said.

  In contrast, the KMT and the TPP have not only forged recall petition signatures, but are also attempting to work together to justify illegal actions such as stigmatizing judicial investigations, she said.

  “There will be no ‘leaders’ meeting,’ but a ‘democracy-sabotaging meetup,’” she added.

  Additional reporting by Chen Yun
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