New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) on Saturday attended a ceremony to mark the completion of renovations at Sinpu Elementary School in New Taipei City.
After Hou gave his opening remarks, New Taipei City Councilor Chou Sheng-kao (周勝考) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) invited borough wardens and members of parents’ associations to form a line on stage with him. On behalf of others, Chou bent on one knee to thank Hou for his efforts and dedication to the school.
Shocked by the move, Hou quickly gestured for Chou to rise. However, motioning for others to join him, Chou got down on his knee again to thank Hou again. Exasperated, Hou jumped up from his seat, waving for them to stop.
Chou later said he was merely performing a common gesture to show gratitude. However, New Taipei City Councilor Ho Po-wen (何博文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) found the move ludicrous and excessive, while New Taipei City council candidate Yamada Mai (山田摩衣) of the DPP said that because Taiwan is a democratic society, government officials are employed by voters to do a job, and consequently it does not make sense for the “employer” to kneel to the “employee.”
Kneeling is common in some situations in various cultures. Knights knelt to show chivalry to a lady, the pious kneel to pay reverence to their religion and courtiers kneel to acknowledge royalty. Similarly, in imperial Chinese protocol, officials or citizens kowtowed to the emperor to show reverence.
This tradition found its way into Taiwanese elections. The most famous example ocurred during the 1997 election for Taipei County commissioner, when former DPP legislator Lu Hsiu-yi (盧修一) got down on his knees and to show respect to now-Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), the DPP’s candidate, who had been considered the underdog.
During the 2002 Taipei mayoral election, People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), in an effort to woo votes for Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), the former president who was twice mayor of the capital, also got down on his knees while shedding tears, telling the crowd that he has never knelt to the public for his own good.
The kneeling act soon became a common episode to save an election campaign or to show determination to get elected. With passion, courage and perfect timing, the candidates or their family bend on one knee to stir up fervor and arouse the public’s sympathy for their “plight.”
Unlike former West German chancellor Willy Brandt, who famously knelt after adjusting a wreath of ribbons at the Warsaw Ghetto memorial in 1970 in an an act of humility and penance, Taiwanese politicians seemed to be falling to their knees for personal interests and political agendas.
Before Taiwan was a fully developed civic society, cheesy, pompous acts such as kneeling and shedding tears might have worked with some members of the public, but this kind of demagogic act is quickly losing its appeal. With the advent of a democratic society, citizens are now casting their votes for candidates who show leadership and competency, not stage presence.
If Chou thought he could elevate Hou’s status and garner public support for Hou by kneeling, he could not have been more wrong. In a democratic society where all are equal, Chou’s behavior can only be regarded as anachronistic and ludicrous. Hou must win the votes of New Taipei City residents with his policies and vision. Kneeling is a thing of the past.
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