Taiwanese wrote another page in the history of the democracy movement at the weekend. However, some people seem to think that protests are “organized crime,” and that the protesters “should all be locked up.” This was the mentality of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) politicians during the years of authoritarian rule, and in fact a core concept of KMT rule in general.
Egged on by New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明), Minster of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) — who did not come out to see what the protesters were saying — said that he would be seeking compensation for damage to property. It seems the law has become the weapon of choice for the KMT in its neo-authoritarian phase.
This neo-authoritarian mentality goes a long way to explaining the present KMT government’s compound indifference: indifference to the plight of ordinary people, and indifference to its own ignorance and incompetence. Initially, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) attempted to show the public his good intentions by installing a new premier, Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺). However, the trouble with Ma’s entire team is crystallized in Ma himself: a complacency in his own abilities coupled with the compound indifference.
It is this compound indifference that makes Ma reduce all problems to an issue of public relations. He attempts to remedy all his administrative screw-ups by presenting them in a more amiable light, obscured by a cloud of rhetoric and misrepresentation. The other pernicious side to this kind of leadership is that the blame always lands at the feet of the ruled, and never the ruler.
With the exception of Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強), who is roughly as senior in the party ranks as Ma, and who is occasionally critical of him, there is nobody else in the party who is willing to tell it like it is: All of them just dance to the beat of Ma’s drum.
There is hardly any need to mention all of the broken political promises: Ma’s own “6-3-3” campaign promise of at least 6 percent economic growth, under 3 percent unemployment and average annual income of US$30,000; his assurances of “complete governance and complete responsibility”; Vice President Wu Den-yih’s (吳敦義) promises concerning amendments to the Land Expropriation Act (土地徵收法) and his assurance to the residents of Dapu Borough (大埔) when premier; or Jiang’s agreement to revise the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法).
These politicians have made promises without the political competence or sincerity to see them through, and made them to further their own political careers.
In the aftermath, they try to absolve themselves of responsibility by dragging out the public relations machine, entirely indifferent to the needs of the public or the anger and frustration at the betrayal in their actions.
This is a different type of authoritarianism, because no matter how loud the public rails and shouts, government officials are totally unaffected by them, changing neither their policies nor their behavior.
Politicians do as they please, refuse to face public protests, try to absolve themselves of all responsibility and do nothing to remedy the situation. This is the modern reboot of the KMT’s authoritarian franchise: KMT2.0. And they pay little attention to the fact that the protesters have continuously said that this recent occupation of government buildings was only the start of a civil disobedience movement. There is more to come.
Chu Ping-tzu is an associate professor of Chinese literature at National Tsing Hua University.
Translated by Paul Cooper
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
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
RSS