Faced with calls from both inside and outside the military for it to disband or be integrated into other branches of the military, the political warfare system is trying all means possible to justify its continued existence.
One of its most recent efforts in that direction was to organize a well-rehearsed parade of its troops in front of President Chen Shui-bian (
The political warfare academy, also known as Fuhsingkang College, mobilized over 1,000 cadets to participate in the parade, which was the largest of its kind since that conducted by the army academy in June 2000, at the 76th anniversary of its founding.
Seemingly impressed by the parade, President Chen said in a speech delivered afterwards that he would like to see the political warfare system focus its attention on guarding against attempts by China to infiltrate and break up Taiwan.
However, this did not represent a new mission for the political warfare system, since its task over the past five decades has always been to monitor for infiltration, disintegration and espionage attempts by China.
It could be interpreted as an assurance by Chen that the political warfare system will continue to exist despite calls from both inside and outside the military for it to disband.
Chen himself had called for the disbandment of the political warfare system during his terms as a lawmaker on the legislature's defense committee.
Chen once called the political warfare system an "illegal organ" because of its lack of a legal foundation to undertake military monitoring and investigation missions. But it now looks to have a legal status following the enforcement of two defense-related laws on March 1.
The two laws -- the Defense Law and the Organizational Law of the Ministry of National Defense -- provide legal foundations for most of the military organizations which had existed as illegal structures in the past.
Despite being protected by the two laws, the political warfare system has to find other ways to justify its continued existence.
In a program aired once a week on a military-affiliated television channel, the political warfare system has been trying to persuade its audience of military personnel that through its existence, corruption and the compromising of military secrets could be effectively prevented.
Though the program may be telling the truth, it is ironic that the political warfare system is itself the producer of the program.
The program had been used effectively in the past by the political warfare system against the Taiwan independence movement, which it condemned as "evil."
The political warfare system ceased its propaganda warfare against the independence movement after the DPP won the presidential election in 2000.
Major General Kung Fan-ding (孔繁定), deputy chief of the political warfare system, said its job now is to make all military personnel understand the consequences of the independence movement, rather than to condemn it as before.
The political warfare system is quick to adapt itself to changes in the political environment, but it may not have done enough to convince Chen and other government leaders that it can be trusted.
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