Some of Taiwan's neighbors are continuing to watch closely for further cases of avian flu, but Taiwan itself has remained free of the disease so far. Hopefully such good luck will last so that the nation can avoid human deaths, financial losses to poultry farmers and the slaughter of migratory birds.
But while Taiwan has so far been spared, its political environment seems to get sicker by the day. The governing and opposition parties are growing more confrontational, trading trumped-up accusations and even blows on the legislative floor. This is the political epidemic that always seems to take hold of the nation before elections -- and it could become disastrous.
With the Dec. 3 local government elections drawing near, some politicians are bending over backwards to laud China's rise and denigrate their own nation, completely at ease with the Chinese regime's authoritarian nature. On one television talk show, a caller even suggested using suicide bombing as a political weapon -- without reproach by the host of the program.
If the nation's political climate continues to deteriorate at this level, and if political parties refuse to moderate their behavior, the specter of violence may loom larger.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen has thrown himself into the campaign with some verve. But, it should be remembered, his efforts did not help the DPP win a legislative majority last year -- and were probably counterproductive. Will this year's efforts be more successful? So far, it would appear the tenor of his campaign will not help achieve the reconciliation between political parties that he has appealed for.
Ma's performance, meanwhile, has been disappointing. He sidestepped Chen's accusations of involvement in the illegal sale of land belonging to the Institute on Policy Research and Development by flippantly telling Chen to spend less time appearing on television and get a medical check-up. Such impudence damages his own image, and shows his unwillingness to respond to the charges Chen and Hsieh have leveled at him.
Moreover, in supporting pan-blue candidates for the Dec. 3 elections, Ma has repeatedly chanted the slogan, "A pan-green government means a corrupt government." Given the KMT's rotten past during its 50 years in power, does such a statement have any resonance?
Many voters think that the DPP is good at winning elections but lousy at governing. They are also aware of the pan-blue camp's drift toward China. Unfortunately, neither party is willing to take a long, hard look at its own shortcomings. Instead, both devote their energies to smearing their opponent. This is the infection that has caused Taiwanese so much anxiety over so many years -- and there doesn't seem to be any cure in sight.
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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