KMT-TPP’s true face
Following the Legislative Yuan’s passage of amendments to boost its own powers, and after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposed three bills to finance construction projects in Hualien and Taitung counties, the KMT has now proposed a set of amendments to the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例) that aim to return land and money that the China Youth Corps had obtained via the KMT back to the party.
This proposal shows how the KMT is only interested in its personal and party interests, with no regard for the harm it did to Taiwanese society.
However, the role played by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in this conflict of interests is even more infuriating. The TPP’s eight legislators, including its caucus whip, Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), washed their hands of the issue by not turning up for an important procedural vote that was won by the KMT. This maneuver typifies the TPP’s willingness to act as a mere appendage of the KMT.
During the authoritarian era, the KMT used all sorts of ways to convert national property into party assets. This can only be described as plundering the nation and its citizens.
In 2016, the Democratic Progressive Party, which at the time held a majority of seats in the legislature, passed the act on ill-gotten party properties, which is aimed at bringing about social justice by restoring those assets to state ownership.
However, the KMT has not only failed to reflect on its errors, but is now trying to grab those assets back by amending the act. This would be another kick in the teeth for the Taiwanese public, and it shows the KMT’s selfishness and its complete disregard for the well-being of the nation and its citizens.
The most outrageous thing about this conflict of interests is the TPP’s role in it. In the past, Huang publicly opposed the KMT’s possession of ill-gotten assets, but now he and the other TPP legislators have tacitly supported the KMT’s amendment bill by collectively absenting themselves from a crucial vote.
The core interests of the KMT and TPP mean giving sole priority to themselves and China instead of basing their actions on Taiwan’s needs. If the KMT and TPP are again allowed to use their combined majority of legislative seats to disrupt the operation of the legislature, the legislature would end up treading water for the next four years and hardly make any progress.
This incident should remind everyone in Taiwan to open their eyes and see the true face of the KMT and the TPP. Only by upholding justice and the rule of law can we ensure that ill-gotten assets are returned to state ownership, which will further the cause of social justice and harmony.
Tu Hsin-lung
Taipei
Drop in egg prices
Since last year’s egg shortage, the price of eggs has come down to less than half of what it was. These extra eggs could be put to good use being made into delicacies such as soy-braised eggs, tea eggs or soft-boiled eggs.
Prices this week have dropped to as low as NT$27.5 per jin (600g). The wholesale price has also slid to NT$40. The Taipei City Egg Farmers’ Association urged companies in the food and beverage industry, as well as the four major supermarket chains, to judiciously cut prices.
Several sellers have already reduced their prices. Some food and beverage firms are promoting dishes with eggs added at no extra cost, reflecting the drop in prices. These steps show people the real effects of the reduction in egg prices. Consumers ought to support such establishments.
Prices tend to go up, and rarely come down again, and this unfortunate principle is reflected in food outlets’ prices compared with a year ago. After all, inflation has affected the cost of everything else — why should eggs be any different? Nevertheless, egg prices have fallen everywhere else. Is it really so difficult to lower the price of egg products?
Consumers often vote with their feet. Food store owners reluctant to drop their prices to reflect the falling price of eggs should not be surprised when their customers go elsewhere.
Hsu Chia-hsin
Taipei
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