People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (
Speaking to gatherings in veterans' villages, he accused President Chen Shui-bian's (
In playing the ethnic card, Soong was consolidating the votes of the Mainlander population. It is worth pointing out that the PFP is constantly accusing Chen's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of "ethnic mobilization" but now it is clearly shown that it is the PFP that relies so heavily on the "ethnic vote."
Playing the war card is not a fresh move either. During the presidential campaigns in 2000 and this year, Soong shouted himself hoarse predicting the possibility of war. But Chen has continued to lead his government into a second term, so clearly Soong's terror tactics are just a way of scaring up votes.
He is now back to his old tricks. Clearly he no longer has any other issues to pick a fight over, so he has no choice but to fall back on these insubstantial and insignificant matters. He has nothing else to offer.
Being able to link Sept. 11 with Taiwan's "retrocession" is no common feat. This is what he calls a global perspective, but in this case there is no "Mr. Science" to give him an endorsement. Does Soong think that just by turning himself into a Nostradamus that he can lead the pan-blue camp out of its current difficulties?
In any case, retrocession is part of the party-state discourse created by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), so although such a 60-year cycle might actually exist, it exists only in the KMT's scheme of things, and so if any catastrophe awaits at the cusp of two cycles, then the catastrophe will simply be that of the dissolution of the KMT's party-state. It doesn't take a fortuneteller to predict this, for it is already a matter of fact.
If the pan-green camp wins a majority in next month's elections, that will truly symbolize the final dissolution of the party-state structure, and this catastrophe is something that the pan-blue camp will surely be unable to escape.
It is most amusing to see what is happening now the Taiwan High Court has rejected the pan-blue camp's case over the one issue that they have harped on ever since May 20; namely that the result of the presidential election is invalid. After the judgement was handed down, even a poll conducted by the pan-blue mouthpiece the United Daily News showed that people had lost faith in the issue.
There was nothing for the pan-blue camp to do but to descend to a still more insubstantial "war of words." We now have KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) questioning the source of DPP campaign funds and Soong taking the guise of a second-rate mystic in the belief that his gobbledegook will bewitch the people.
If Soong really is able to see the future, why did he participate in the 2000 elections if he was doomed to failure? And why did he doom himself this year to failure once again, this time even after accepting the lesser role of vice-presidential candidate?
If Soong can't even get his own future right, he can hardly insist that he's right about anything else. Perhaps this is all that he is capable of?
Chin Heng-wei is editor-in-chief of Contemporary Monthly magazine.
Translated by Ian Bartholomew
As strategic tensions escalate across the vast Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has emerged as more than a potential flashpoint. It is the fulcrum upon which the credibility of the evolving American-led strategy of integrated deterrence now rests. How the US and regional powers like Japan respond to Taiwan’s defense, and how credible the deterrent against Chinese aggression proves to be, will profoundly shape the Indo-Pacific security architecture for years to come. A successful defense of Taiwan through strengthened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific would enhance the credibility of the US-led alliance system and underpin America’s global preeminence, while a failure of integrated deterrence would
It is being said every second day: The ongoing recall campaign in Taiwan — where citizens are trying to collect enough signatures to trigger re-elections for a number of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators — is orchestrated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), or even President William Lai (賴清德) himself. The KMT makes the claim, and foreign media and analysts repeat it. However, they never show any proof — because there is not any. It is alarming how easily academics, journalists and experts toss around claims that amount to accusing a democratic government of conspiracy — without a shred of evidence. These
Taiwan is confronting escalating threats from its behemoth neighbor. Last month, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army conducted live-fire drills in the East China Sea, practicing blockades and precision strikes on simulated targets, while its escalating cyberattacks targeting government, financial and telecommunication systems threaten to disrupt Taiwan’s digital infrastructure. The mounting geopolitical pressure underscores Taiwan’s need to strengthen its defense capabilities to deter possible aggression and improve civilian preparedness. The consequences of inadequate preparation have been made all too clear by the tragic situation in Ukraine. Taiwan can build on its successful COVID-19 response, marked by effective planning and execution, to enhance
Since taking office, US President Donald Trump has upheld the core goals of “making America safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” fully implementing an “America first” policy. Countries have responded cautiously to the fresh style and rapid pace of the new Trump administration. The US has prioritized reindustrialization, building a stronger US role in the Indo-Pacific, and countering China’s malicious influence. This has created a high degree of alignment between the interests of Taiwan and the US in security, economics, technology and other spheres. Taiwan must properly understand the Trump administration’s intentions and coordinate, connect and correspond with US strategic goals.
RSS