Taiwan is not democratic since the political power structure reproduces itself and is in the hands of just a few families, Taipei mayoral aspirant Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said.
Ko made the remarks at a book launch for Chinese dissident writer Yuan Hongbing’s (袁紅冰) latest, Taiwan Shengsi Shu — Taiwan Book of Death.
Ko praised the Sunflower movement, but also offered critiques.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“There were no clear causes during the movement. The slogans were mostly ‘anti-’ something, such as the anti-service trade pact and the [later] anti-Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, while we need positive listing of our values,” Ko said.
Calling President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) so-called “92 consensus” a scam, Ko said that a “Taiwan consensus,” echoing former Democratic Progressive Party chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), is the nation’s best direction.
“It should be based on the nation’s fundamental, core values, and I believe they are democracy, freedom, the rule of law, human rights, care for vulnerable groups and sustainable development,” he said.
He questioned the manifestation of these values in the nation, saying: “If Taiwan is a democratic country, my father wouldn’t have been that afraid when I said I’m running for office. He said he didn’t want to lose a son after losing his father in the 228 Incident.”
“And while in a democracy, politics should be shared by the people, we now have all those second-generation of the rich and the powerful hogging the social and political stage, like it is in China,” he said. “From Ma through Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) to Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文), are they not all second-generation politicians? Some are even third-generation, almost like North Korea.”
“Freedom? We don’t even have the freedom to donate,” he said, referring to government claims that personal financial donations to the student protest were illegal.
Ko also panned KMT policy on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, saying that as a surgeon at National Taiwan University Hospital, “I can assure you that there is no plan in place for a nuclear disaster,” adding, “The KMT treats this place as a hotel without the idea of perpetual and sustainable development. That’s why they opt for the plant.”
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,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. 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
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS