The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) once again demonstrated how seriously out of step it is when it announced on Friday that it was revoking the party membership of Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (
The KMT's Evaluation and Discipline Committee said that Lee was kicked out of the party for "fawning" over the Democratic Progressive Party government, but in the same press release revealed the real reason for Lee's expulsion: he had disrespected late dictator and party icon Chiang Kai-shek (
This came just days after Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (
These two episodes highlight the problems faced by a party stuck in the past and remind us how a party that cannot break free from the shackles of its authoritarian history is unfit to lead Taiwan.
The KMT's failure to change and come to terms with democratization and the growth of a Taiwan consciousness will continue to hold it back.
How can the people of Taiwan be expected to take the KMT seriously if, almost six decades after being defeated in the Chinese Civil War, it still refuses to relinquish its claim to be the legitimate government of China and concentrate its efforts on Taiwan?
The KMT's strict adherence to the Confucian concepts of loyalty and respect mean it remains unable to deal properly with embarrassing episodes from its past.
And while loyalty and respect are worthy concepts, they are sometimes incompatible with the requirements of modern democratic politics.
Loyalty to senior party figures is why the KMT cannot completely close the door on the Chiang era and also why it let former chairman Lien Chan (
But worst of all, it is the KMT's underlying Chinese supremacist attitude that has seen it struggle to cope with the rapid changes occurring in society.
Look at how the party undid all the good work of former president and party chairman Lee Teng-hui (
This attitude is also why the party will almost certainly select former chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
Wang is Taiwanese, and the KMT would be loath to give him the chance to lead the nation because of the lingering memories of Lee's "betrayal" of the party.
While the KMT talks about caring for Taiwan and expresses regret over the 228 Incident, the party's dogmatic devotion to a flawed history, refusal to accept criticism of Chiang and reluctance to commit itself wholeheartedly to this nation's future create a different impression.
It is this stubbornness that will continue to harm the KMT in the eyes of the electorate. And for this it has only itself to blame.
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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