TSU lawmaker Su Ying-kuei (
At the same time, the KMT is intensifying its efforts to amend the relevant law, which prohibits a recall of a council speaker within one year of his or her election. While the KMT's desperation to catch its own fall is understandable, its efforts appear misdirected. It is questionable whether this amendment, in the long run would bring more good or more harm.
As much as the KMT may hope to undo its mistakes and as much as anyone may think the newly elected speaker Chu An-hsiung (
It would be entirely at odds with accepted legal practice to amend the law and then have it retro-actively apply to Chu as the KMT and the PFP are proposing. Moreover, legislative efforts targeting specific individuals are questionable -- if not downright unacceptable -- to begin with.
While it was both morally and politically stupid and just plain wrong to cast votes for the scandal-ridden Chu in the first place, once he has been elected he is privileged with certain rights, such as the right to not be recalled for the wrong reasons. It is like before his or her wedding, one is entirely at liberty to choose whomever one wants to marry, but once married, at least according to Taiwan's law, one can't simply end the marriage unless either the spouse agrees or the spouse has done something wrong, such as have an extra-marital affair.
Of course, had Chu engaged in vote-buying, then strong reasons would exist to recall him. In fact, if his election is deemed illegal to begin with, there may not even be a need to recall him. This is exactly why a speedy investigation and trial of the case is badly needed -- to prove that Chu indeed engaged in vote-buying.
It is disturbing to see the KMT threatening to decline approval of the government budget at the Legislative Yuan unless the DPP cooperates with the amendment efforts. No less inappropriate is the KMT's accusation that the DPP would be providing a safe harbor for "black gold" if it refused to support the amendment.
If KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
A series of strong earthquakes in Hualien County not only caused severe damage in Taiwan, but also revealed that China’s power has permeated everywhere. A Taiwanese woman posted on the Internet that she found clips of the earthquake — which were recorded by the security camera in her home — on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu. It is spine-chilling that the problem might be because the security camera was manufactured in China. China has widely collected information, infringed upon public privacy and raised information security threats through various social media platforms, as well as telecommunication and security equipment. Several former TikTok employees revealed
For the incoming Administration of President-elect William Lai (賴清德), successfully deterring a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attack or invasion of democratic Taiwan over his four-year term would be a clear victory. But it could also be a curse, because during those four years the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will grow far stronger. As such, increased vigilance in Washington and Taipei will be needed to ensure that already multiplying CCP threat trends don’t overwhelm Taiwan, the United States, and their democratic allies. One CCP attempt to overwhelm was announced on April 19, 2024, namely that the PLA had erred in combining major missions
The Constitutional Court on Tuesday last week held a debate over the constitutionality of the death penalty. The issue of the retention or abolition of the death penalty often involves the conceptual aspects of social values and even religious philosophies. As it is written in The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, the government’s policy is often a choice between the lesser of two evils or the greater of two goods, and it is impossible to be perfect. Today’s controversy over the retention or abolition of the death penalty can be viewed in the same way. UNACCEPTABLE Viewing the
At the same time as more than 30 military aircraft were detected near Taiwan — one of the highest daily incursions this year — with some flying as close as 37 nautical miles (69kms) from the northern city of Keelung, China announced a limited and selected relaxation of restrictions on Taiwanese agricultural exports and tourism, upon receiving a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) delegation led by KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崑萁). This demonstrates the two-faced gimmick of China’s “united front” strategy. Despite the strongest earthquake to hit the nation in 25 years striking Hualien on April 3, which caused