KMT at its dirty tricks again
The Special Investigation Division (SID) of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office is investigating the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) over alleged “benefits exchanges” of at least NT$30 million (US$913,075) during the process of replacing former KMT presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱).
January’s presidential campaign has not even officially started and we are suddenly cast back to the month leading up to the 2012 presidential election, when the KMT ambushed its opponents with allegations that Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was involved in the “Yu Chang” (宇昌) case.
Fast forward to the present day, and those allegations, made by the former head of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, Christina Liu (劉憶如), have been ruled by the Taipei District Court to be unfounded and Liu has been ordered to pay Tsai NT$2 million in compensation.
The KMT were allowed to smear its opponent’s name and affect the result of the election, and thereby burdened the Taiwanese with another four years of incompetent governance under the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). It was a pretty good deal for the KMT, all things considered, a paltry NT$2 million for another four years in power. That is peanuts compared with the NT$30 million they apparently feel Hung’s ousting was worth.
Even more shameful is that after Liu had made the allegations, those who pursued the issue were none other than Hung, former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih (林益世), KMT Legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元), who recently survived a recall vote, and KMT Legislator Nancy Chao (趙麗雲).
Because of their “good work” in the Yu Chang allegations, Hung was promoted to deputy legislative speaker and KMT vice chairperson soon after the 2012 election, Lin was made Executive Yuan secretary-general after losing his legislative seat, Chao was nominated for a member of the Examination Yuan and Liu was made minister of finance.
These people were all rewarded for smearing Tsai and until now only Liu has been brought to account. The KMT is now up to its old tricks for this election. Do not let it get away with it again.
Chuang Hsiung-chi
Taichung
The recent passing of Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), known to many as “Big S,” due to influenza-induced pneumonia at just 48 years old is a devastating reminder that the flu is not just a seasonal nuisance — it is a serious and potentially fatal illness. Hsu, a beloved actress and cultural icon who shaped the memories of many growing up in Taiwan, should not have died from a preventable disease. Yet her death is part of a larger trend that Taiwan has ignored for too long — our collective underestimation of the flu and our low uptake of the
For Taipei, last year was a particularly dangerous period, with China stepping up coercive pressures on Taiwan amid signs of US President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, which eventually led his Democratic Party to force him to abandon his re-election campaign. The political drift in the US bred uncertainty in Taiwan and elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region about American strategic commitment and resolve. With America deeply involved in the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the last thing Washington wanted was a Taiwan Strait contingency, which is why Biden invested in personal diplomacy with China’s dictator Xi Jinping (習近平). The return of
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has long been a cornerstone of US foreign policy, advancing not only humanitarian aid but also the US’ strategic interests worldwide. The abrupt dismantling of USAID under US President Donald Trump ‘s administration represents a profound miscalculation with dire consequences for global influence, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. By withdrawing USAID’s presence, Washington is creating a vacuum that China is eager to fill, a shift that will directly weaken Taiwan’s international position while emboldening Beijing’s efforts to isolate Taipei. USAID has been a crucial player in countering China’s global expansion, particularly in regions where
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), known affectionately as “Big S,” recently passed away from pneumonia caused by the flu. The Mandarin word for the flu — which translates to “epidemic cold” in English — is misleading. Although the flu tends to spread rapidly and shares similar symptoms with the common cold, its name easily leads people to underestimate its dangers and delay seeking medical treatment. The flu is an acute viral respiratory illness, and there are vaccines to prevent its spread and strengthen immunity. This being the case, the Mandarin word for “influenza” used in Taiwan should be renamed from the misleading