A group from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has protested against the anti-infiltration bill, saying that it overlaps with the National Security Act (國家安全法) and citing electoral concerns.
The problem is that China is influencing elections in the US, Australia and elsewhere, destroying democracy.
As a solution, Taiwan has taken the lead by proposing anti-infiltration legislation, not only to keep elections clean and avoid being controlled by an enemy, but also to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan, which would be cheaper than buying Taiwan and better than attacking it.
The anti-infiltration bill is an anti-annexation bill aimed at preventing the CCP from subverting Taiwan’s government.
The external enemy — a country that wants to use non-peaceful means to endanger Taiwan’s sovereignty — that the anti-infiltration bill is aimed at is none other than China: its government, the CCP, its organizations and its institutions. This is very different from Taiwan’s conflicts with other neighbors.
In addition, the draft is limited to addressing political donations, election campaign activities, referendums and protests. People who travel to China as tourists, to do business or to meet with CCP members are covered by the bill and would not be fined.
Why would anyone be opposed to a ban on candidates accepting financial assistance from the CCP? As it safeguards national security and people’s livelihoods, most support the bill. The only ones opposed to it are political parties, groups and individuals who have accepted, or would accept, CCP funds.
If these disciples of Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) and Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) had a conscience and a concept of what a nation is, they would also support the bill.
If Sun could see what is going on today, he would surely regret having worked with the Soviet Union and tolerated the communists. He was sure that it would be possible to block communism from entering China and thought that the just over 400 communist party members allowed into the KMT would never be able to expand and grow strong.
However, “man proposes, god disposes.” Sun died and the two things he was worried about came to be: Communism entered China, and it expanded and grew strong. In 1949, the CCP defeated Sun’s disciple Chiang.
It seems that the KMT and its members have forgotten this part of history.
To its arsenal of division, provocation, alienation, infiltration, and stirring up conflict and turmoil, the CCP has added funding political candidates and using the media, its Internet army and paid commentators to create false news reports to influence elections.
If fellow travelers of a country that treats democracy as an enemy gain control of the presidential office and the legislature, and if they start pushing Taiwan toward the tiger’s den, what use are elections on their own?
The anti-infiltration bill is an anti-annexation bill, and along with the national defense forces, it will provide the strongest psychological defense of our democracy — this is something that every intelligent person will understand and support wholeheartedly.
Chuang Sheng-rong is a lawyer.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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