Flawed KMT logic
On Thursday last week, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokesman Ouyang Long’s (歐陽龍) daughter Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) was blocked by all major Chinese entertainment media outlets. They thought her father was a Taiwan independence advocate, and therefore suspected that she was one, too.
That afternoon, Ouyang Nana issued a quick statement: “I am proud to be Chinese.”
Her KMT spokesman father, playing a lead role in this drama, said in a statement that this was the result of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) causing a freeze on cross-strait relations since its return to power.
What kind of a person is it whose first response when bullied by an outsider is to blame his own instead of fighting back? How naive must one be — and a KMT spokesman, no less — to think that if the KMT were in power, Taiwan would do just fine in the international community and that China would stop suppressing Taiwan?
We all remember the 2016 incident involving another Taiwanese entertainer, Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜). The KMT was in power then. Following Ouyang Long’s logic, that should have meant that Chou should not have come under Chinese pressure, and the KMT’s candidate should have won the presidential election that year.
This shows that Chinese suppression of Taiwan has nothing to do with political parties, but Ouyang Long refuses to criticize an overbearing and unreasonable China; he instead blames the DPP. Is he hoping that his master would hear him and pat him on the head?
The KMT leadership has not issued any statement, so its spokesman’s statement must be the party’s position, once again showing voters that the KMT excels at plotting and scheming between themselves, but is not very adept at dealing with others.
Lin Chia-feng
New Taipei City
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,
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
On a quiet lane in Taipei’s central Daan District (大安), an otherwise unremarkable high-rise is marked by a police guard and a tawdry A4 printout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating an “embassy area.” Keen observers would see the emblem of the Holy See, one of Taiwan’s 12 so-called “diplomatic allies.” Unlike Taipei’s other embassies and quasi-consulates, no national flag flies there, nor is there a plaque indicating what country’s embassy this is. Visitors hoping to sign a condolence book for the late Pope Francis would instead have to visit the Italian Trade Office, adjacent to Taipei 101. The death of
As the highest elected official in the nation’s capital, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) is the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate-in-waiting for a presidential bid. With the exception of Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), Chiang is the most likely KMT figure to take over the mantle of the party leadership. All the other usual suspects, from Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) to New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) to KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) have already been rejected at the ballot box. Given such high expectations, Chiang should be demonstrating resolve, calm-headedness and political wisdom in how he faces tough