The recent budget review in the legislature and the ruling party’s push for recall campaigns have become focal points of political debate. Budget reviews are a normal process in a democratic system, ensuring that government spending is justified and properly allocated.
However, instead of responding to legitimate concerns about budget usage, the ruling party has chosen to frame oversight as political obstruction. Worse yet, it has launched large-scale recall campaigns as a form of political retaliation. Such actions not only deepen societal divisions, but also risk undermining the normal functioning of Taiwan’s democratic system.
The core spirit of democracy lies in checks and balances, as well as government accountability — not in suppressing dissent through political maneuvers. The government had proposed a record-breaking budget of NT$3.1325 trillion (US$95.46 billion), and it must be subject to rigorous legislative scrutiny to ensure that every dollar is spent effectively on improving the lives of the people.
However, the ruling party has painted budget oversight and spending cuts as deliberate obstruction, even spreading misinformation domestically and internationally. This does nothing to enhance transparency; instead, it casts a shadow over Taiwan’s democratic institutions. Rather than engaging in political infighting, the people care more about whether the government can drive economic growth, alleviate financial burdens, and guide Taiwan toward a stable and prosperous future.
By advancing key legislative initiatives to improve economic conditions, ensuring stable energy supply and establishing a comprehensive social welfare system, we can truly achieve the goal of building up Taiwan.
To build a truly strong Taiwan, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus has introduced a series of critical bills, including amendments to the Electricity Act (電業法) and the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法), a draft long-term care insurance bill and a plan to distribute NT$10,000 to each taxpayer.
Energy policy is crucial to Taiwan’s industrial competitiveness and social stability. As the world moves toward carbon reduction, ensuring a stable energy supply while balancing economic and environmental needs is a challenge the government must address. However, the administration’s inconsistent energy policies have led to continued instability in domestic power supply, rising industrial electricity costs and declining foreign investor confidence. The proposed amendments to the Electricity Act aim to clarify the energy supply mechanism and establish a sustainable energy policy for Taiwan’s future.
As Taiwan transitions into an aging society, long-term care will become an increasingly important public policy issue. The current allocation of long-term care resources is uneven, placing a heavy financial burden on many families. The draft long-term care insurance bill seeks to establish a structured financial plan to ensure fair distribution of resources and guarantee proper care for the elderly in need.
If the ruling party continues to prioritize political mobilization over addressing people’s needs, it will only weaken Taiwan’s democratic institutions and trap the nation in endless internal conflict. Taiwan’s democracy has been hard-won through decades of struggle and we must cherish it. Instead of engaging in political battles, we should focus on policy competition and meaningful reform. We must approach national development challenges with a rational and pragmatic mindset, abandoning political maneuvering in favor of real solutions that serve the people.
Chance Hsu is the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) assistant director of international affairs.
There is a modern roadway stretching from central Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa, to the partially recognized state’s Egal International Airport. Emblazoned on a gold plaque marking the road’s inauguration in July last year, just below the flags of Somaliland and the Republic of China (ROC), is the road’s official name: “Taiwan Avenue.” The first phase of construction of the upgraded road, with new sidewalks and a modern drainage system to reduce flooding, was 70 percent funded by Taipei, which contributed US$1.85 million. That is a relatively modest sum for the effect on international perception, and
At the end of last year, a diplomatic development with consequences reaching well beyond the regional level emerged. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign state, paving the way for political, economic and strategic cooperation with the African nation. The diplomatic breakthrough yields, above all, substantial and tangible benefits for the two countries, enhancing Somaliland’s international posture, with a state prepared to champion its bid for broader legitimacy. With Israel’s support, Somaliland might also benefit from the expertise of Israeli companies in fields such as mineral exploration and water management, as underscored by Israeli Minister of
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) challenges and ignores the international rules-based order by violating Taiwanese airspace using a high-flying drone: This incident is a multi-layered challenge, including a lawfare challenge against the First Island Chain, the US, and the world. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) defines lawfare as “controlling the enemy through the law or using the law to constrain the enemy.” Chen Yu-cheng (陳育正), an associate professor at the Graduate Institute of China Military Affairs Studies, at Taiwan’s Fu Hsing Kang College (National Defense University), argues the PLA uses lawfare to create a precedent and a new de facto legal
Chile has elected a new government that has the opportunity to take a fresh look at some key aspects of foreign economic policy, mainly a greater focus on Asia, including Taiwan. Still, in the great scheme of things, Chile is a small nation in Latin America, compared with giants such as Brazil and Mexico, or other major markets such as Colombia and Argentina. So why should Taiwan pay much attention to the new administration? Because the victory of Chilean president-elect Jose Antonio Kast, a right-of-center politician, can be seen as confirming that the continent is undergoing one of its periodic political shifts,
RSS