Bribery, embezzlement, fraud and other types of corruption were deeply entrenched during the 50-year reign of the former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration. That system was inherited by President Chen Shui-bian (
It is obvious that one of the reasons for this is the historical and continuing pro-KMT partisanship within the media. The majority of the media confuse fabrication with fact, and present propaganda as news. The people need, but do not demand, better journalism. Unbridled partisanship is at once a cause and an effect of the nation's political irrationality. This letter is to call attention to a less obvious part of the political irrationality.
Throughout most of the 50-year KMT regime, political opposition was not allowed. There was just the KMT party-state government and the people. Any criticism of the government or act of civil disobedience, was the people's criticism and a demonstration of the people's will. As recently as 20 years ago, there was still no opposition organized enough to have a name: there was only the generic term dangwai, meaning "outside of the KMT."
Twenty years ago the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) emerged as the nation's first opposition party. It developed its role as a loyal and responsible opposition, and its candidates won many local offices. In 2000 its candidate, Chen, won the presidential election.
The KMT became an opposition party, but declined the role of a loyal and responsible opposition. Regaining the presidency, no matter what the cost to the country, was its only goal. It sought to frustrate and embarrass the government by a program of obstruction against every government plan, it disabled institutions such as the Control Yuan and it continued to demand that Chen go.
Although the opposition parties' use of their majority in the legislature is a clear expression of organized opposition power, the public seems to view street actions, including the present anti-Chen demonstration, as people's movements.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. From the recruitment of former DPP chairman Shih Ming-teh (施明德) as a figurehead leader, to the permission for weeks of 24-hour occupation of the streets granted by the KMT chairman from his perch in Taipei City Hall, the anti-Chen demonstration expresses the power of an undisciplined and disloyal opposition.
There will be no rhyme or reason to Taiwanese politics until people open their eyes, look at what the opposition parties do and measure the opposition parties by their performance as a loyal and responsible opposition.
Marty Wolff
Taipei County
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations