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.
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
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