KMT spokesman Wu Ching-ji (
The KMT says its policy is motivated by the need to institutionalize political accountability by parties. In other words, if non-DPP people join the Cabinet, it will be harder to hold the DPP accountable for policy problems or errors. Who are they kidding? The KMT's apparent belief that the public is too stupid to figure out who to blame if you have a president from the DPP and a DPP government but some non-DPP Cabinet members is downright insulting.
That the KMT appears to have an abundance of talented people, especially in the fields of finance and trade, is due more to Taiwan's recent history than the party's ability to cultivate great minds. During its decades-long authoritarian rule, joining the KMT was the only way to have a political career and contribute to the country. Given the party's historical inability to differentiate between itself and the nation, one might ask how much of the nurturing of party talent was provided by national, rather than party, resources? Under the circumstances, using political accountability as an excuse to keep KMT talent from joining the Cabinet is yet another sign that the party has always placed its own interests above those of the nation.
The most obvious victim of the KMT's policy is newly-elected at-large legislator Chiang Ping-kun (
Then there is the dilemma of General Tang Yao-ming (
The KMT has been relentless in its condemnation of former members who have joined the Cabinet as traitors selfishly selling out the party for their own interests. Apparently the KMT believes that its members must not only put party loyalty above all else, but that the party-member bond is equivalent to the marriage vow of "until death do us apart."
It is too bad that the KMT doesn't believe in political accountablitity -- or loyalty for that matter -- when it comes to party members who have shown themselves more than willing to toady up to Beijing in return for business or political favors. Nary a harsh word has been heard from KMT headquarters about these people "selfishly selling out the party for their own interests."
Any KMT members joining the Cabinet deserve a pat on the back for placing national interests first -- if not a rousing cheer. Whether they choose to resign their party membership or face expulsion, these people will be able to hold their heads high, confident in the knowledge that the people of Taiwan appreciate what they are doing, even if their former comrades are incapable of doing so.
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
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS