Cabinet Secretary-General Chen Chin-jun (
Close to one month has elapsed since the Cabinet made the announcement, and yet there has been no sign of a follow-up on the matter -- with the notable exception of a TV spot featuring Government Information Office Minister Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) calling on the electorate to take part in the DPP-initiated referendum on reclaiming the KMT's "stolen assets" and waxing on the benefits of doing so. He said the money would be used to pay for schoolchildren's lunches and as tuition subsidies for children from low-income households.
Amid the seeming DPP idleness, the KMT, meanwhile, seems to having embarked on a joy ride thanks to its abundant party resources. Since the KMT national congress' formal endorsement in June of Ma Ying-jeou (
Last month alone, the KMT rolled out at least four TV spots that were aired several times a day on a number of TV channels.
One wonders how much the KMT must have paid to produce these lengthy TV promotions, as well as what the cost must have been to buy such a number of TV commercial slots.
It is no secret that the KMT has been selling its assets. What's truly horrifying is the thought that the KMT may now be selling assets it stole from the people to fund its bid to regain power.
The DPP, however, also bears some of the blame. Whenever elections approach, the DPP starts calling for the assets stolen by the KMT to be reclaimed. That, in and of itself, is unimpeachable. What is deplorable is the fact that once the ballots have been cast and the elections have been concluded, all that noise about the stolen assets turns to an eerie silence.
The DPP government's repeated inability or unwillingness to follow through on its commitment to giving back to the people what is theirs has led to disappointment. Some, perhaps not unfairly, have even questioned if it is genuinely committed to achieving justice on that front.
As next month's legislative elections and the presidential election in March draw closer, the pitch of the DPP's call on the KMT to return the stolen assets will once again increase.
What will be interesting to see is whether this time around the request is more than just an electoral ploy.
Crying wolf might not be the best way to describe the DPP's use of the KMT stolen assets issue at election time. But the underlying principle is the same: If, through repetition and inaction, people start thinking they are being taken for fools, the DPP's message could very well turn against it and serve instead as a means to highlight its insincerity.
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
RSS