A recent VCD lampooning pan-blue officials was a reflection of the public's distaste for the legislative abuse of freedom of speech, a lawmaker has said.
"The brisk sales of Special Report, which makes fun of politicians, including a number of lawmakers, is a warning to legislators to be more responsible and cautious when commenting under the protection of legislative immunity," said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Cheng Kuo-chung (
On Friday, People First Party (PFP) Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) said that the people behind the controversial VCD -- actress Chiang Hsia (江霞), cartoonist Yu-fu (漁夫), a professor surnamed Hsieh at Soochow University and political commentator Wu Chin-fa (吳錦發) made the film to boost the DPP's election campaign.
PHOTO: CNA
Chiu claimed that the four DPP supporters were driven to shoot the political comedy out of a desire to keep the pan greens in office.
Chiu said he possessed evidence that proved the four plotted to attack pan-blue parties to help the DPP win next year's presidential election.
The lawmaker, however, did not present his evidence.
Cheng said, "Some lawmakers obviously go beyond their legislative immunity when they make accusations without proof in an effort to smear other people's reputation. This has caused the Legislative Yuan to be perceived by the public as a source of social chaos."
Acknowledging that he watched the VCD, Cheng said that there was nothing illegal about its content.
"I believe that people watch the VCD not only out of curiosity, but out of a feeling that the alternative film reflects their view on certain politicians. They realize that they would never get a chance to see similar interpretations in the local media because of the abnormality of domestic politics and the overstated press freedom upheld by media workers," Cheng said.
The team behind Special Report lampooned the pan-blues in a number of ways, including parodying the numerous call-in programs and news-commentary shows on television, said Cheng, who hosts a radio show in Tainan.
"Its a bizarre thing when pan-blue politicians feel they have to censure the performers when they themselves attack their political rivals on TV shows with no moral hesitation or legal restrictions," Cheng said.
Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) whip Lo Chih-ming (
"TSU members rarely participate in news programs hosted by Sisy Chen (
Lo added that because the topic was biased, it was therefore no surprise to see the hosts siding with pan-blue guests.
Lo also said that pan-blue lawmakers held double standards when it came to commenting on their political rivals and party colleagues.
"The PFP's policy research center director Chang Hsien-yao (
The TSU whip said that it was ironic that Chang's colleague Chiu was now the one making accusations without concrete evidence.
Lo also challenged his independent colleague Sisy Chen's use of legislative privileges on her TV show.
"Chen capitalizes on her legislative power to collect confidential information and materials only offered to lawmakers and brings them on to her show," he said.
Lo said that it was regrettable that she abandoned her legislative duty to supervise administrative officials at the Legislative Yuan and instead improperly took on a commercial TV program.
Cheng Cheng-iok (鄭正煜), chief executive of the Southern Taiwan Society (南社), said that the media had failed to fulfill their duty to distinguish right from wrong and truth from falsehood since the DPP won the 2000 presidential election.
According to Cheng Cheng-iok, many in the media were far from impartial.
"Reporters have come in line with pro-unification politicians and have ignored the fact that these people are still trying to denigrate Taiwan on behalf of China.
"Consequently, they have wide coverage of opposition legislators Diane Lee (
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or