What a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black!
Wang Weiming ("Laughable and pathetic," April 30, page 8) charges that the pan-greens are making dangerous accusations, while failing to mention that since March 20 the pan-blues have indulged in much contemptible character assassination as well as repeated attempts to create Haiti-style civil unrest ("revolution," they call it).
The beauty of democracy is that citizens are free to question their leaders. However, in light of the post-election uproar, have we not seen affable pan-green politicians and supporters humbly accept a ballot recount and further in-vestigations into the attempted assassinations?
Where can you find another world leader who, after an attempt on his life, is assumed guilty and forced by his nation to "please explain why you were shot?"
Yet President Chen Shui-bian (
Can anyone deny that Chen's holding out of the olive branch has availed him little thus far? The pan-blues' bitterness at their defeat has marred their respect for the judicial system and raised questions about their judgment and morality. Are the rest of us also free to question the pan-blues' intentions and acerbic tone?
While there is always room for improvement, Chen included, let us look at both sides of the argument with greater objectivity. Upholding democratic principles means that however free we may be to question our leaders, we must also respect the courts' ability to honor our legal codes with due process. Failing this, we fail democracy.
Insinuating that leaders can bypass the laws and judicial processes is surely not conducive to the spirit of democracy. The pan-blues would do better to point their accusing fingers at those who harbor such dangerous and illegal notions.
Currently I see no indications of political turmoil or democracy going "backward," as some former tyrants continue to claim.
Respected international commentators and global leaders alike have lauded Taiwan's democracy as true and functioning, particularly in light of the capable handling of the pan-blues' post-March 20 enmity.
My fellow Taiwanese would certainly do better for our young democracy by placing more faith in our nation and its laws.
Jennifer Chen
Australia
The cancelation this week of President William Lai’s (賴清德) state visit to Eswatini, after the Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius revoked overflight permits under Chinese pressure, is one more measure of Taiwan’s shrinking executive diplomatic space. Another channel that deserves attention keeps growing while the first contracts. For several years now, Taipei has been one of Europe’s busiest legislative destinations. Where presidents and foreign ministers cannot land, parliamentarians do — and they do it in rising numbers. The Italian parliament opened the year with its largest bipartisan delegation to Taiwan to date: six Italian deputies and one senator, drawn from six
Recently, Taipei’s streets have been plagued by the bizarre sight of rats running rampant and the city government’s countermeasures have devolved into an anti-intellectual farce. The Taipei Parks and Street Lights Office has attempted to eradicate rats by filling their burrows with polyurethane foam, seeming to believe that rats could not simply dig another path out. Meanwhile, as the nation’s capital slowly deteriorates into a rat hive, the Taipei Department of Environmental Protection has proudly pointed to the increase in the number of poisoned rats reported in February and March as a sign of success. When confronted with public concerns over young
When Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) sits down with US President Donald Trump in Beijing on Thursday next week, Xi is unlikely to demand a dramatic public betrayal of Taiwan. He does not need to. Beijing’s preferred victory is smaller, quieter and in some ways far more dangerous: a subtle shift in American wording that appears technical, but carries major strategic meaning. The ask is simple: replace the longstanding US formulation that Washington “does not support Taiwan independence” with a harder one — that Washington “opposes” Taiwan independence. One word changes; a deterrence structure built over decades begins to shift.
China has long given assurances that it would not interfere in free access to the global commons. As one Ministry of Defense spokesperson put it in 2024, “the Chinese side always respects the freedom of navigation and overflight entitled to countries under international law.” Although these reassurances have always been disingenuous, China’s recent actions display a blatant disregard for these principles. Countries that care about civilian air safety should take note. In April, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) canceled a planned trip to Eswatini for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s coronation and the 58th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic
RSS