During an interview with this newspaper (published in two parts, yesterday and today) President Chen Shui-bian (
With the political forces of the ancien regime waiting for an opportunity to make a comeback, and in the face of young democracies the world over which are also facing similar situations, it is hard not to agree with Chen. Just as he pointed out in the interview, the biggest danger for those countries pursuing democracy is the question of whether their peoples are ready to accept the pain of reforms.
Looking at countries in Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe which have recently emerged from authoritarianism, it is clear from their development that democratic reforms are a long and messy road. For example, the people may lose their desire to continue on the path of reforms due to the temporary pain of the reforms. Reactionary conservatives can still make a comeback. Voters in these countries appear to have a short memory, and -- amid the pain and chaos of the early days of reforms -- some begin to long for the stability and economic order they remember from the authoritarian system. Prime examples of such wayward nostalgia are South Koreans who long for a leader such as Park Chung-hee, who ruled the country with an iron fist for 18 years, and the recent Mao Zedong (
The nation is at a crossroads -- it will either deepen its democracy or regress. It is time to remind the voters and the friends of this country that the people must stand firm on the ideals of democratic reform. Voters must make the correct historic choice. All those countries friendly to Taiwan should view the March 20 election with sympathy and support the universal values of democracy and reforms.
It has not been easy for the Taiwanese people to gain an opportunity to hold their first national referendum. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP) have shown their clear contempt for the referendum and have launched a drive to dissuade people from voting in it. They even echoed Beijing's opposition to such referendums. They have used Chinese nationalism to mobilize the pro-unification groups and oppose the referendum in an attempt to eliminate the momentum of reforms and the rise of a Taiwanese consciousness.
The lackluster performance of the nation's economy in the past four years has fueled some people's discontent and their willingness to blame Chen despite the fact that the global economy has also been in the doldrums during this time. Some voters yearn for the days of the bubble economy under the KMT, when the stock market seemed to rise every day. They forget the pyramid schemes that collapsed and the embezzlements that robbed many people of their savings.
Fortunately the global economy has been recovering. The success of the Chen government's financial reforms are paving the way for a better future, just as the people's enthusiasm for democratic reforms will signify the arrival of spring for the nation's politics and economy. Chen's re-election would also be a shot in the arm for countries facing a similar situation.
There is much evidence that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is sending soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and is learning lessons for a future war against Taiwan. Until now, the CCP has claimed that they have not sent PLA personnel to support Russian aggression. On 18 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskiy announced that the CCP is supplying war supplies such as gunpowder, artillery, and weapons subcomponents to Russia. When Zelinskiy announced on 9 April that the Ukrainian Army had captured two Chinese nationals fighting with Russians on the front line with details
On a quiet lane in Taipei’s central Daan District (大安), an otherwise unremarkable high-rise is marked by a police guard and a tawdry A4 printout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating an “embassy area.” Keen observers would see the emblem of the Holy See, one of Taiwan’s 12 so-called “diplomatic allies.” Unlike Taipei’s other embassies and quasi-consulates, no national flag flies there, nor is there a plaque indicating what country’s embassy this is. Visitors hoping to sign a condolence book for the late Pope Francis would instead have to visit the Italian Trade Office, adjacent to Taipei 101. The death of
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), joined by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), held a protest on Saturday on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. They were essentially standing for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is anxious about the mass recall campaign against KMT legislators. President William Lai (賴清德) said that if the opposition parties truly wanted to fight dictatorship, they should do so in Tiananmen Square — and at the very least, refrain from groveling to Chinese officials during their visits to China, alluding to meetings between KMT members and Chinese authorities. Now that China has been defined as a foreign hostile force,
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