Fourteen years ago, I interviewed then vice president Lee Teng-hui (
When Senegal was still a French colony, Senghor fought in WWII in the army and in the French resistance. After the war, he was elected to the French National Assembly, where he played a role in drafting the constitution of the Fourth Republic. In 1960, after Senegal won independence, Senghor was elected as the first president of the republic.
Senghor probably earned Lee's admiration because his life was unique in many ways. Besides being a statesman, Senghor was also a famous poet, with several published collections.
His contributions to African culture and arts were no less great than his political contributions.
Senghor was an advocate of "African socialism," but his theory, unlike orthodox socialism based on atheism and materialism, was based on African realities.
Senghor was a powerful spokesperson for the third world, often protesting the unfair treatment of agricultural countries in world trade.
Lee also studied agriculture, and his beliefs have a strong socialist overtone; in addition, he is quite interested in culture and the arts. To Lee, Senghor is like a mirror image.
An even more important characteristic of Senghor is that although he was the first president of his country, and held that office for the next 20 years, he decided to retire half way through his fifth term, letting Prime Minister Abdou Diouf take over the remaining two years. Diouf was subsequently reelected for a number of terms.
When Senghor handed over power, he was 74 years old, a few years younger than Lee is today. He did not retire for health reasons, but because he felt that it was time for someone else to lead Senegal.
Diouf, then 54 years old, had served as prime minister under Senghor for 11 years and enjoyed a sound reputation both at home and overseas. Naturally, Diouf was the successor of Senghor's choice.
Since Senegal's constitution provides that the prime minister succeeds the presidency in case the president can no longer fulfill his duties, Senghor decided to retire early and let Diouf take over.
Lee has been the president for the past 12 years. Although his total tenure is eight years shorter than Senghor's, it is still long compared to that of most other countries' presidents. Recently, someone asked for Lee's early resignation from the position of KMT chairman.
Although this request is something in the nature of a palace coup, support for Lien Chan (
If Lee does not publicly announce his early resignation, those who oppose him worry that the future President Lien would be a puppet under Lee's commanding presence, and therefore, supporting Lien is the equivalent of allowing Lee to continue running the show.
Senghor may be a statesman who Lee truly admires, and the two do have much in common. However, would Lee, like Senghor, hand over control of the party before he steps down from the presidency? We will have the answer within the next few days.
Wang Chien-chuang is the president of The Journalist magazine.
Speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on May 13, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that democracies must remain united and that “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism.” Earlier that day, Tsai had met with a group of Danish parliamentarians led by Danish Parliament Speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, who has visited Taiwan many times, most recently in November last year, when she met with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office. Kjaersgaard had told Lai: “I can assure you that ... you can count on us. You can count on our support
Denmark has consistently defended Greenland in light of US President Donald Trump’s interests and has provided unwavering support to Ukraine during its war with Russia. Denmark can be proud of its clear support for peoples’ democratic right to determine their own future. However, this democratic ideal completely falls apart when it comes to Taiwan — and it raises important questions about Denmark’s commitment to supporting democracies. Taiwan lives under daily military threats from China, which seeks to take over Taiwan, by force if necessary — an annexation that only a very small minority in Taiwan supports. Denmark has given China a
Many local news media over the past week have reported on Internet personality Holger Chen’s (陳之漢) first visit to China between Tuesday last week and yesterday, as remarks he made during a live stream have sparked wide discussions and strong criticism across the Taiwan Strait. Chen, better known as Kuan Chang (館長), is a former gang member turned fitness celebrity and businessman. He is known for his live streams, which are full of foul-mouthed and hypermasculine commentary. He had previously spoken out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and criticized Taiwanese who “enjoy the freedom in Taiwan, but want China’s money”
Last month, two major diplomatic events unfolded in Southeast Asia that suggested subtle shifts in the region’s strategic landscape. The 46th ASEAN Summit and the inaugural ASEAN-Gulf-Cooperation Council (GCC)-China Trilateral Summit in Kuala Lumpur coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron’s high-profile visits to Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore. Together, they highlighted ASEAN’s maturing global posture, deepening regional integration and China’s intensifying efforts to recalibrate its economic diplomacy amid uncertainties posed by the US. The ASEAN summit took place amid rising protectionist policies from the US, notably sweeping tariffs on goods from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, with duties as high as 49 percent.
RSS