Fifty years of KMT corruption was what drove Taiwan's voters to opt for a new government in last year's presidential election. However, after just 10 months in office, the DPP government appears to have acquired many of the KMT's bad habits -- without that party's skill at concealment. The KMT's shrewd masters of chicanery must be sniggering into their tea cups as they watch the DPP's clumsy dabbling in their art.
News that the government may replace Wang Chung-yu
Being a "fledgling" democracy, Taiwan scarcely has any experience in large-scale personnel reshuffles -- but this is something it will gradually get used to. The DPP has already appointed Lai Kuo-chou
The previous KMT government appointed Wang, who has served as China Steel chairman for five years. The company has performed fairly well under his leadership, but few would find fault with a proposal to replace him -- as long as the company's board agrees to it. As a political appointee, Wang cannot complain about being replaced after a transition of power. What the public needs to watch for is the professional qualifications of his replacement. Political affiliation should be a secondary concern. The same is true with the upcoming board elections at Chinese Petroleum
Apart from professionalism, another important principle is legality. Jerome Chen
Recently however, Chen sent letters to bank depositors, urging them -- in his capacity as bank chairman -- to support Charles Chiang (江昭儀), a member of the bank's board and an Executive Yuan official, in the upcoming DPP primary. Chen's letter has drawn severe criticism from the Legislative Yuan.
Chen's misuse of bank funds to curry the favor of a superior is incompatible with a banker's professionalism. Whether Chen has violated the law by using client information for political purposes remains to be investigated. But he cannot excuse himself by saying such a misstep will never happen again. Such abuse of power is exactly why voters dumped the KMT last year. Government reforms and a crackdown on "black gold" politics have always been the DPP's rallying points. How can the party answer to its supporters if it condones such behavior?
Apart from professional skills and party affiliation, the DPP should also test its candidates on their knowledge of law the next time the party plans a personnel reshuffle. That might help halt the DPP's transformation from a party renowned for its political and social activism into laughing stock and byword for political ineptness.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
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