To vote for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in Saturday's presidential election would be to endorse one-party rule, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (
"One-party rule is bound to have far-reaching repercussions on the development of democracy and people's livelihoods," Hsieh said.
Since the KMT won the legislative election in January, many have wondered whether the country's hard-earned democracy is doomed, he said.
PHOTO: TUNG CHEN-KUO, TAIPEI TIMES
Hsieh made the remarks after visiting Huang Kun-yen (
Urging undecided voters to come out and vote, Huang said he was worried the KMT's control of both the legislature and the executive would corrupt the party, whose lust for power manifested itself during its 50-year authoritarian rule.
"Power corrupts," he said. "Compared with the KMT's half-a-century rule, eight years of DPP rule is too short. We need another party to act as a check on the KMT's power."
If the KMT establishes the "cross-strait common market" and recognizes Chinese academic credentials, Huang said he expected medical quality to deteriorate, as there are as many as 5,000 medical practitioners in China waiting to enter the Taiwanese market.
While the KMT promised not to abuse its power if elected, Hsieh said the public could not afford to count on the party's goodwill alone.
"What if it [the KMT] cannot deliver on its promises? The only thing people could do is cry," he said. "We must establish a system in which the government continues to operate, but with checks and balances -- no matter who is in power."
If elected, Hsieh said, he promised to share administrative powers with the KMT and appoint a KMT member as premier.
The country would not be in idle spin, there would no longer be political infighting and government budgets would not be boycotted, Hsieh said. He would act as the gatekeeper of cross-strait policy and ensure that Taiwan-centered consciousness, national security and sovereignty are upheld while opening up to China.
At a separate setting yesterday, former national policy adviser to the president Huang Tien-fu (黃天福) expressed similar concerns, saying that Beijing's bloody crackdown on Tibet reminded him of the KMT's authoritarian rule.
"I'm afraid that Taiwan will become the next Tibet," he said. "If the KMT wins the election, we don't know when we will [get the presidency] back."
Huang Tien-fu is the brother of former DPP chairman Huang Hsin-chieh (黃信介), one of the individuals accused during the Kaohsiung Incident.
Also known as the Formosa Incident, the Kaohsiung Incident occurred on Dec. 10, 1979, when the KMT government cracked down and imprisoned participants in an anti-government parade organized by Formosa magazine.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS