Presidential elections in democratic countries are important tests of the candidates' characters. Unfortunately, presidential elections in this country have yet to rise about the level of mudslinging contests, with political parties and politicians appearing more interested in character assassination than policy proposals.
Such tactics are not without risks. Go too far and the accuser may lose his or her own credibility as well as votes. As renowned academic Liao Shu-tsung (
First, it surprisingly used remarks by Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (
Another example is the widespread media coverage of allegations against the government and the president by white-collar fugitive Chen Yu-hao (
How can Chen Yu-hao's self-serving claims be seen as anything more than a bid to sway the election and perhaps win a pardon if the pan-blue camp wins? This is a man who has been charged with embezzling NT$800 million from Tung Hua Development Corp and owes more than NT$23 billion to state-run banks. He has taken refuge in a country that harbors grave enmity against this nation and refuses to return home to face investigation. Why should anyone believe anything he says unless he is willing himself to stand up in court to face the charges against him?
Even if the accusations Chen Yu-hao has leveled are proven one day, the nation's judiciary is capable of taking action against any government official or citizen who commits crimes. Given concrete evidence, no one is above the law in this country, not even the president.
The pan-blue camp appears to have forgotten that what the voters care most about when it comes to presidential hopefuls is their personal character, particularly whether they are trustworthy. Perhaps they don't want to remember that it was the Chung Hsing Bills Finance embezzlement scandal that cost PFP Chairman James Soong (
The pan-blue camp is running scared. It appears willing to stop at nothing -- from distortion to outright lies -- to attack the pan-green camp, while suffering from convenient amnesia when it comes to its own candidates' past actions and statements. Its fear is understandable -- if it loses this election, the KMT is history. The alliance's actions have been a disappointment to voters. They should respond accordingly come election day.
China’s supreme objective in a war across the Taiwan Strait is to incorporate Taiwan as a province of the People’s Republic. It follows, therefore, that international recognition of Taiwan’s de jure independence is a consummation that China’s leaders devoutly wish to avoid. By the same token, an American strategy to deny China that objective would complicate Beijing’s calculus and deter large-scale hostilities. For decades, China has cautioned “independence means war.” The opposite is also true: “war means independence.” A comprehensive strategy of denial would guarantee an outcome of de jure independence for Taiwan in the event of Chinese invasion or
A recent Taipei Times editorial (“A targeted bilingual policy,” March 12, page 8) questioned how the Ministry of Education can justify spending NT$151 million (US$4.74 million) when the spotlighted achievements are English speech competitions and campus tours. It is a fair question, but it focuses on the wrong issue. The problem is not last year’s outcomes failing to meet the bilingual education vision; the issue is that the ministry has abandoned the program that originally justified such a large expenditure. In the early years of Bilingual 2030, the ministry’s K-12 Administration promoted the Bilingual Instruction in Select Domains Program (部分領域課程雙語教學實施計畫).
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) earlier this month said it is necessary for her to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and it would be a “huge boost” to the party’s local election results in November, but many KMT members have expressed different opinions, indicating a struggle between different groups in the party. Since Cheng was elected as party chairwoman in October last year, she has repeatedly expressed support for increased exchanges with China, saying that it would bring peace and prosperity to Taiwan, and that a meeting with Xi in Beijing takes priority over meeting
Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman for maritime affairs Rogelio Villanueva on Monday said that Manila’s claims in the South China Sea are backed by international law. Villanueva was responding to a social media post by the Chinese embassy alleging that a former Philippine ambassador in 1990 had written a letter to a German radio operator stating that the Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) did not fall within Manila’s territory. “Sovereignty is not merely claimed, it is exercised,” Villanueva said. The Philippines won a landmark case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 that found China’s sweeping claim of sovereignty in
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