In a recent interview with the Washington Post, President Chen Shui-bian (
Are the KMT and PFP really angry or are they faking it? The Constitution endows the president with immunity from criminal prosecution, so such a lawsuit seems aimed at attracting media attention rather than legal retribution. Are the KMT and the PFP seriously alleging the president should bear criminal responsibility for his comments?
Responding to news of the lawsuit, Chen Chien-ming (
The KMT and the PFP have frequently defamed former president Lee Teng-hui (
There are two other adages that come to mind as the pan-blue camp totters around trying to look hurt and offended. The first adage is the truth hurts. To paraphrase the second adage -- if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's Beijing's duck.
Chen's remarks were simply a reiteration of something that is widely known. The people of Taiwan have watched as the KMT and the PFP acted as if they were walking the same road with China's government, despite the denials from both parties. The KMT's "one China" stance is not only in line with Beijing's policy, but the party has repeatedly claimed that China and Taiwan did reach a consensus during the Koo-Wang talks in 1992.
Despite the party's efforts at cosmetic surgery over the past decade, this is basically the same group that ran the Chiang Kai-shek (
Meanwhile, the PFP basically accepts China's "one country, two systems." Soong and his followers are apparently untroubled by Hong Kong's dramatic decline under such a format. Why should the people of Taiwan be willing to see their country turned into a special administrative region of China, given the fate of the people of Hong Kong and Macau?
Because the KMT's and PFP's cross-strait policies fit perfectly into Beijing's fraudulent claims to sovereignty over Taiwan, the parties have attracted support from China -- both covert and overt -- in stonewalling the government's reform efforts. Beijing's rejection of the government's "small three links" policy is a prime example.
If the KMT and the PFP feel uncomfortable being reminded how much they parrot China's policies, then they should not toady up to Beijing. More importantly, they must prove -- by action, not just words -- that they are on the side of the Taiwanese people. This would spare them from more "hurtful" accusations.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has its chairperson election tomorrow. Although the party has long positioned itself as “China friendly,” the election is overshadowed by “an overwhelming wave of Chinese intervention.” The six candidates vying for the chair are former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), former lawmaker Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文), Legislator Luo Chih-chiang (羅智強), Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中), former National Assembly representative Tsai Chih-hong (蔡志弘) and former Changhua County comissioner Zhuo Bo-yuan (卓伯源). While Cheng and Hau are front-runners in different surveys, Hau has complained of an online defamation campaign against him coming from accounts with foreign IP addresses,
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) on Saturday won the party’s chairperson election with 65,122 votes, or 50.15 percent of the votes, becoming the second woman in the seat and the first to have switched allegiance from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to the KMT. Cheng, running for the top KMT position for the first time, had been termed a “dark horse,” while the biggest contender was former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), considered by many to represent the party’s establishment elite. Hau also has substantial experience in government and in the KMT. Cheng joined the Wild Lily Student
When Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) announced the implementation of a new “quiet carriage” policy across all train cars on Sept. 22, I — a classroom teacher who frequently takes the high-speed rail — was filled with anticipation. The days of passengers videoconferencing as if there were no one else on the train, playing videos at full volume or speaking loudly without regard for others finally seemed numbered. However, this battle for silence was lost after less than one month. Faced with emotional guilt from infants and anxious parents, THSRC caved and retreated. However, official high-speed rail data have long
Starting next year, drivers older than 70 may be entitled to a monthly NT$1,500 public transportation and taxi subsidy if they relinquish their driver’s license, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced on Tuesday. The measure is part of a broader effort to improve road safety, with eligible participants receiving the subsidy for two years. The announcement comes amid mounting concern over traffic safety in Taiwan. A 2022 article by CNN quoted the name of a Facebook group devoted to the traffic situation called “Taiwan is a living hell for pedestrians,” while Berlin-based bne IntelliNews last month called it a “deadly
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