Former premier Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村) has been trying to turn the Taipei mayoral election into a standoff between those who favor Taiwan remaining the “Republic of China” and those who support Taiwanese independence, in a repeat of the 1994 mayoral race that developed into a battle over national identity — It is as if the clock has been turned back 20 years.
At the heart of the Taipei mayoral contest is the question of whether the candidates can propose effective ways of handling the urgent problems posed by the city’s wealth gap, skyrocketing housing prices, falling salaries, food safety controls, an aging society, declining birthrates, urban renewal and a bloated local administration, to create an environment where residents can live and work in peace.
To wilfully turn the focus of the election away from municipal issues toward the independence or unification issue — which has nothing to do with the responsibilities of the Taipei City Government — is tantamount to treating voters as fools, and is nothing but a tasteless trick.
Looking back at the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) mayoral primary in April, KMT Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) defeated KMT Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) after receiving more than 10,000 votes, eclipsing Ting’s less than 5,000 ballots. In the opinion poll section of the primary, Lien also defeated Ting, garnering the support of 39 percent of respondents, compared with Ting’s 36 percent support rating.
No one is probably more confused over this result than Ting, who was fiercely attacked by his party comrades despite having been preparing for the role of Taipei mayor for 20 years and even being named “legislator with the most outstanding record.”
Lo Cheng-chung is an assistant professor at the Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology Institute of Financial and Economic Law.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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