Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday introduced a new political association to the public, with the stated aim of deepening democracy in the country, which he said had fallen victim to ideology and partisan warfare.
Lee said the Lee Teng-hui Democracy Association (李登輝民主協會) was established to point out the flaws of the government and speak out for the people.
Bemoaning the fact that no progress has been made since 2000, Lee said the nation desperately needed a new wave of reform to deepen its democracy. Such reform initiatives should cover the areas of democracy, politics, education, the judiciary and spirit, he said.
PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
During his 12-year presidency, Lee said his policy was to transform the country from an authoritarian state to a democracy and he was glad that goal was achieved with the help of the people.
Although Taiwan saw two transfers of power in 2000 and 2008, Lee said moral decline and cultural retrogression since then has become a major problem.
Lee said many people believe the two changes of government have made Taiwan’s democracy healthier and more mature, but in reality the two political camps have been engaged in virulent partisan competition at the expense of national interest and public well-being.
“People must vote the government out of power if it does a bad job,” he said. “People are the real masters of the country and it makes perfect sense for a master to change his servant if he cannot do his job properly.”
Lee urged the government to reach out to the opposition and seek consensus on national identity. As it will take a long time to resolve the complex issue of Taiwan’s statehood, he also urged politicians to handle political matters rationally and be tolerant of different ideologies and political positions.
Criticizing the government’s economic policy, Lee said it not only failed to address the unemployment problem, but also adopted a hands-off approach in managing China-bound investment and appeared not to care about the hardships the public is facing.
Lee also questioned China’s sincerity following its recent promises to help Taiwan sign free-trade agreements with other countries if Taipei signs an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA).
“It never means what it says and will lie if that serves its purposes,” he said.
Tadae Takubo, vice chairman of Friends of the Lee Teng-hui Association in Japan, expressed concern over the government’s China-friendly policy, saying Tokyo could not afford to ignore such a disturbing development.
“Taiwan’s attitude toward Japan, the US and China plays a significant role in the shifting military balance in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
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