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.
In an article published in Newsweek on Monday last week, President William Lai (賴清德) challenged China to retake territories it lost to Russia in the 19th century rather than invade Taiwan. “If it is really for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t China take back Russia?” Lai asked, referring to territories lost in 1858 and 1860. The territories once made up the two flanks of northern Manchuria. Once ceded to Russia, they became part of the Russian far east. Claims since then have been made that China and Russia settled the disputes in the 1990s through the 2000s and that “China
Trips to the Kenting Peninsula in Pingtung County have dredged up a lot of public debate and furor, with many complaints about how expensive and unreasonable lodging is. Some people even call it a tourist “butchering ground.” Many local business owners stake claims to beach areas by setting up parasols and driving away people who do not rent them. The managing authority for the area — Kenting National Park — has long ignored the issue. Ultimately, this has affected the willingness of domestic travelers to go there, causing tourist numbers to plummet. In 2008, Taiwan opened the door to Chinese tourists and in
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Thursday was handcuffed and escorted by police to the Taipei Detention Center, after the Taipei District Court ordered that he be detained and held incommunicado for suspected corruption during his tenure as Taipei mayor. The ruling reversed an earlier decision by the same court on Monday last week that ordered Ko’s release without bail. That decision was appealed by prosecutors on Wednesday, leading the High Court to conclude that Ko had been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and it ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Video clips
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) arrest is a significant development. He could have become president or vice president on a shared TPP-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) ticket and could have stood again in 2028. If he is found guilty, there would be little chance of that, but what of his party? What about the third force in Taiwanese politics? What does this mean for the disenfranchised young people who he attracted, and what does it mean for his ambitious and ideologically fickle right-hand man, TPP caucus leader Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌)? Ko and Huang have been appealing to that
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