The Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) resounding election victory has given it more than a two-thirds legislative majority and the power to impeach the president. With the four seats of the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union, it in effect has a three-quarters majority and the power to amend the Constitution.
However, this landslide victory could be both a blessing and a curse for the KMT. The party now has no excuses and must take responsibility for the legislature's performance -- good or bad. After eight years in opposition, there is concern that the party will be tempted by the power and revert to its old ways as it deals with conflicts and challenges.
The party is facing its first test in the race for deputy legislative speaker. While Wang Jin-pyng (
The party also has to answer questions on where its priorities lie. Before the polls, KMT legislators had proposed 13 money-guzzling bills worth NT$4.7 trillion (US$145 billion) and clearly aimed at specific groups. They include bills on constructing private roads, pensions and subsidies for civil servants, teachers and military personnel and welfare measures for retired soldiers. Half of these bills have passed the second reading, despite opposition from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). It remains to be seen whether the KMT cares more for the general public or only its supporters.
Furthermore, the KMT still has to address the issues of its stolen assets and official corruption. KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (
Because of its big legislative win, expectations are high that the KMT will go on to repeat its victory in the March 22 presidential poll. But along with this heady sense of victory, media reports say the KMT fears power-inebriated lawmakers are emerging and might spoil the party's chances. The KMT is reportedly planning to call a recess three days after the new legislature convenes on Feb. 22 and the election of the speaker and deputy speaker. This is to allow KMT lawmakers to return to their constituencies to campaign for the party's presidential candidate, Ma Ying-jeou (
The legislative elections are over. The outcome of the presidential campaign now depends on Ma and his DPP rival, Frank Hsieh (
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
It is being said every second day: The ongoing recall campaign in Taiwan — where citizens are trying to collect enough signatures to trigger re-elections for a number of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators — is orchestrated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), or even President William Lai (賴清德) himself. The KMT makes the claim, and foreign media and analysts repeat it. However, they never show any proof — because there is not any. It is alarming how easily academics, journalists and experts toss around claims that amount to accusing a democratic government of conspiracy — without a shred of evidence. These
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
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