It was clear from last Saturday's election debate that the nation's politicians have learned little about democracy. Even though presidential candidates and the political parties enjoy full freedom of speech, they have never abided by democratic rules or paid much attention to the law. Politicians use negative propaganda strategies to attack their opponents but rarely do they base their claims on solid evidence. Such irresponsible accusations can be heard on a daily basis. No wonder the media has compared the campaign to a mud-slinging war between wild kids.
Over the past week or so, the opposition parties and legislators have quoted from letters by a fugitive tycoon that called the Presidential Office a hub of "black gold" politics and insinuated that some high-level members of that office were involved in corruption. Then the opposition seized on first lady Wu Shu-chen's (
It is the responsibility of the opposition to monitor the government. The problem, however, is that since the opposition is making such serious accusations, voters expect it to produce concrete evidence and lodge complaints with the judiciary so that the judicial system won't be tarnished and social justice may be upheld.
But the opposition has not done this. The accusations remain at the level of verbal accusations. When the Presidential Office said it would file defamation lawsuits against its accusers, these people were quick to change their tune, claiming that they were simply quoting from information provided by the fugitive tycoon. They are neither willing to take responsibility for their words nor apologize.
Such behavior is disappointing.
The nation's democracy cannot continue to be built on the basis of mud-slinging. What political parties say should be checked and balanced by the media. Voters must also responsibly use their ballots to help put an end to negative campaigning so that errant parties and politicians may learn a lesson from this year's presidential election.
To ensure that Taiwan's democracy continues to develop on the right track, we urgently need a new constitution compatible with the current reality to lead the nation's political development and to free it from the shackles of the past. Constitutional reforms will help rebuild the people's confidence in the judiciary. This will have a deterrent effect on law-breaking political parties and politicians.
Without a new constitution, the development of Taiwan's democracy will be endangered and the judiciary will once again be subject to political interference. If the democratic system is not strengthened, fugitives such as Chen Yu-hao (
If Taiwan does not continue to deepen and stabilize her democratic foundations, if political parties stop at nothing to tarnish their opponents or sow discord in society, then ethnic hostilities may worsen and any effort at nation building will come to nought. Taiwan needs to deepen its democratic system to consolidate social unity and public opinion and promote ethnic harmony and national identity.
Such an effort is needed to prevent white-collar criminals from committing more mischief. Only then can Taiwan have the conditions it needs to undertake judicial and legislative reforms. Only then can a democratized Taiwan resist external threats and enjoy true stability and peace.
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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