The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is staging a splendid imperial-style spectacle. KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Similar charades from imperial times can be read in history textbooks. After a power struggle, the victor would say that "the support of so many people left him no choice but to take the throne." It was a hackneyed ploy even back then, but Lien has never been one to avoid a cliche.
It's time to say enough is enough and put an end to this soap opera, this comedy of horrors. By putting on such an outmoded spectacle, the KMT has once again demonstrated that it is out of touch with reality and with the democratic era.
Of course, pan-green camp supporters should be delighted, for if Lien stays as chairman, he will certainly try to be the KMT's presidential contender in the 2008 election. That would basically guarantee a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) victory, regardless of who its candidate is. The reason for this is simple: By staying on as chairman, Lien will block the democratization of the KMT and the transfer of power to the next generation. All the pan-green camp needs to do is stand by and watch the KMT fall apart.
Pan-blue supporters shouldn't pin their hopes on Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
However, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
This response clearly shows how far the KMT has to go in learning the ways of democracy. A choice of candidates is standard in democratic elections, but as soon as Ma challenged Lien, he was accused of splitting the party. With that kind of mentality, no wonder the KMT has long behaved as though national elections risk splitting the nation.
While many pan-greens and others would applaud the idea of Lien, as captain, going down with his ship as the KMT sheds employees and hemorrhages money, such a drawn-out death scene would be hard to stomach. Does Taiwan really need another four years of Lien's spoiled-brat sulks and "one true king" pretensions? For the sake of the nation's democracy, Lien should step down to allow for the restructuring and democratization of the KMT and for multi-party politics to flourish.
Two sets of economic data released last week by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) have drawn mixed reactions from the public: One on the nation’s economic performance in the first quarter of the year and the other on Taiwan’s household wealth distribution in 2021. GDP growth for the first quarter was faster than expected, at 6.51 percent year-on-year, an acceleration from the previous quarter’s 4.93 percent and higher than the agency’s February estimate of 5.92 percent. It was also the highest growth since the second quarter of 2021, when the economy expanded 8.07 percent, DGBAS data showed. The growth
In the intricate ballet of geopolitics, names signify more than mere identification: They embody history, culture and sovereignty. The recent decision by China to refer to Arunachal Pradesh as “Tsang Nan” or South Tibet, and to rename Tibet as “Xizang,” is a strategic move that extends beyond cartography into the realm of diplomatic signaling. This op-ed explores the implications of these actions and India’s potential response. Names are potent symbols in international relations, encapsulating the essence of a nation’s stance on territorial disputes. China’s choice to rename regions within Indian territory is not merely a linguistic exercise, but a symbolic assertion
More than seven months into the armed conflict in Gaza, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take “immediate and effective measures” to protect Palestinians in Gaza from the risk of genocide following a case brought by South Africa regarding Israel’s breaches of the 1948 Genocide Convention. The international community, including Amnesty International, called for an immediate ceasefire by all parties to prevent further loss of civilian lives and to ensure access to life-saving aid. Several protests have been organized around the world, including at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and many other universities in the US.
Every day since Oct. 7 last year, the world has watched an unprecedented wave of violence rain down on Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories — more than 200 days of constant suffering and death in Gaza with just a seven-day pause. Many of us in the American expatriate community in Taiwan have been watching this tragedy unfold in horror. We know we are implicated with every US-made “dumb” bomb dropped on a civilian target and by the diplomatic cover our government gives to the Israeli government, which has only gotten more extreme with such impunity. Meantime, multicultural coalitions of US