It is often difficult to predict how things will develop, and we sometimes don't know whether to laugh or cry at the results. Wang Li-ping (
Corruption is a complicated issue. It will not disappear because a sit-in protest tries to bring down an individual; rather, its minimization involves a serious and difficult political, economic and social process persistently pursued over the long term.
When it was revealed that the housekeeper of President Chen Shui-bian's (
But corruption is not the preserve of a single person or party. As the pan-blue and "red" camps accuse the government of graft, former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Chen Che-nan (
And although Wu Chun-li (
Hsu has the right of appeal, and only if the second instance renders a verdict of "guilty" can the Ministry of the Interior discharge Hsu. Asking for his resignation now is only a political and moral demand.
So despite the present anti-Chen campaign, it would seem to a neutral observer that the KMT has greater problems with corruption than the DPP.
We all hope to eliminate corruption, but that goal must not take precedence over the rule of law, and it must not be turned into a moral or political issue that disregards the law. If it does, it will become a trial in the court of public opinion. Experience tells us that even though corruption charges may be shocking, they do not always lead to a guilty verdict.
If people really want to punish corruption, they should bridge the gap between morality and legality, such as amending the law regulating civil servants' use of public funds, relaxing the conditions constituting a corruption charge, and stipulating that all government officials should be stood down if found guilty by a court in the first instance.
If the public insists that ousting every politician accused of a misdemeanor will eradicate corruption, the power to appoint and remove government officials will be in the hands of the media.
Because the scandal involving the Presidential Office is still under investigation, it is too early to predict the outcome. Forcing Chen to resign based on sensational accusations in the media and by lawmakers is unacceptable. The corruption charges against the first family are still under investigation, which means the first family is neither indicted nor sentenced. The public should give the judiciary more time and space.
As strategic tensions escalate across the vast Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has emerged as more than a potential flashpoint. It is the fulcrum upon which the credibility of the evolving American-led strategy of integrated deterrence now rests. How the US and regional powers like Japan respond to Taiwan’s defense, and how credible the deterrent against Chinese aggression proves to be, will profoundly shape the Indo-Pacific security architecture for years to come. A successful defense of Taiwan through strengthened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific would enhance the credibility of the US-led alliance system and underpin America’s global preeminence, while a failure of integrated deterrence would
The Executive Yuan recently revised a page of its Web site on ethnic groups in Taiwan, replacing the term “Han” (漢族) with “the rest of the population.” The page, which was updated on March 24, describes the composition of Taiwan’s registered households as indigenous (2.5 percent), foreign origin (1.2 percent) and the rest of the population (96.2 percent). The change was picked up by a social media user and amplified by local media, sparking heated discussion over the weekend. The pan-blue and pro-China camp called it a politically motivated desinicization attempt to obscure the Han Chinese ethnicity of most Taiwanese.
On Wednesday last week, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta published an article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) asserting the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) territorial claim over Taiwan effective 1945, predicated upon instruments such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. The article further contended that this de jure and de facto status was subsequently reaffirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly issued a statement categorically repudiating these assertions. In addition to the reasons put forward by the ministry, I believe that China’s assertions are open to questions in international
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment on Friday last week to add four national holidays and make Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors — a move referred to as “four plus one.” The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who used their combined legislative majority to push the bill through its third reading, claim the holidays were chosen based on their inherent significance and social relevance. However, in passing the amendment, they have stuck to the traditional mindset of taking a holiday just for the sake of it, failing to make good use of
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