Whether it is a "political party" or a "political group," the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) has officially become one of the participants in the year-end elections. The goal of participation is to win, to gain the largest possible number of seats. That's the only way the union's existence will make any sense, and that is the only way to gain the credibility, indeed the right to continue to participate in politics. This is the political principle of real power.
The TSU's battle preparations will certainly enable them to capture some KMT and DPP seats by attracting votes from the two parties.
To establish whether it will be the KMT or the DPP that suffers most, we will have to watch their responses, as well as the platforms and methods with which they compete during the election.
The goal the TSU has set for itself is to stabilize the political situation, and the aim is to help the DPP to gain an absolute majority in the elections, thus helping it to escape the threats and power-grabbing of the opposition alliance.
But even the securing of that majority is no more than a means to the end of further consolidating the common aim of localization shared by Lee Teng-hui (
The DPP developed from an illegal tang-wai (
It is strange that the party, having achieved such victories, is so riddled with pessimism that it is even afraid to nominate candidates for more than half of the seats in the legislature.
But of course the worsening situation resulting from the increasingly factionalized nature of the ruling party is one of the factors.
The DPP will not be able to gain a majority of seats in the legislature, and the KMT, PFP and New Party plans to join hands in order to grab political power after the elections is already an open secret. Given this situation, the establishment of the TSU certainly is a saving grace, making up for the inadequacies of the DPP, or, to take a wider perspective, an expansion of the green camp's power base, which, judging from the intrinsic qualities of the DPP's factional interests, no longer seems to hold the possibility of outward expansion.
The DPP is constantly attacking the TSU for trying to eat the same cake as itself, unable to understand that the TSU is a political party that will not be restricted or controlled by the DPP, and that complaints and curses will not change its disposition or development.
If the DPP cannot even withstand the challenge of the TSU, how is it going to take on the opposition coalition? The TSU poses no real threat to the DPP. It's time the ruling party cncern itself with its real foes.
Chin Heng-wei is the editor in chief of Contemporary Monthly magazine.
Translated by Perry Svensson.
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.