The era of mass recall campaigns has seen bizarre incidents — among the most startling are “ghost signatures,” or deceased people’s names showing up on recall petitions.
During the first-phase recall petition against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶), it was revealed that 108 signatures belonged to people who had died before the petitions were filed.
As the proposal’s initiator, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League member Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) found himself under fire for the scandal. His mother came forward, saying senior KMT officials pressured her son into spearheading the campaign. Even KMT city councils believed it was normal for Lee to have access to the party roster.
The person who copies the roster should be held responsible for any issues that arise — not a young person such as Lee, who should not have to shoulder such a burden alone.
Lee joined the KMT recently and was still in the exploratory phase, yet he took on such an important task. It would be a lie to say he did not face any external pressure. It is quite possible that his superiors manipulated or persuaded him, leaving a young, inexperienced and new party member with no room to refuse.
The situation reminds me of my high-school days when my classmates and I were summoned to listen to a speech. We barely understood what was being said, yet somehow, by the end, we had all joined the KMT. It felt like manipulation — or perhaps something more subtle and insidious, like group hypnosis.
I cannot say with certainty that Lee was tricked into joining the KMT. I believe he is a young person with enthusiasm for politics. However, I cannot help but question whether the KMT’s culture is problematic.
I feel for Lee — he was thrust into the front lines, with no clear way to retreat, and bears the burden as a scapegoat for something he might not fully understand. Is it really fair to place that weight on someone so young?
Perhaps that is the main reason why the KMT struggles to recruit young members— the party’s internal culture is opaque and lacks respect for young people. Watching them throw a young person such as Lee directly into the line of fire, only evokes sympathy in me, especially as someone who has experienced similar dynamics in the past.
If that culture is not addressed and reformed, the gap between the KMT and younger generations would only continue to grow.
Li Kuan-long is a university professor.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
China has not been a top-tier issue for much of the second Trump administration. Instead, Trump has focused considerable energy on Ukraine, Israel, Iran, and defending America’s borders. At home, Trump has been busy passing an overhaul to America’s tax system, deporting unlawful immigrants, and targeting his political enemies. More recently, he has been consumed by the fallout of a political scandal involving his past relationship with a disgraced sex offender. When the administration has focused on China, there has not been a consistent throughline in its approach or its public statements. This lack of overarching narrative likely reflects a combination
Behind the gloating, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) must be letting out a big sigh of relief. Its powerful party machine saved the day, but it took that much effort just to survive a challenge mounted by a humble group of active citizens, and in areas where the KMT is historically strong. On the other hand, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) must now realize how toxic a brand it has become to many voters. The campaigners’ amateurism is what made them feel valid and authentic, but when the DPP belatedly inserted itself into the campaign, it did more harm than good. The
For nearly eight decades, Taiwan has provided a home for, and shielded and nurtured, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). After losing the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the KMT fled to Taiwan, bringing with it hundreds of thousands of soldiers, along with people who would go on to become public servants and educators. The party settled and prospered in Taiwan, and it developed and governed the nation. Taiwan gave the party a second chance. It was Taiwanese who rebuilt order from the ruins of war, through their own sweat and tears. It was Taiwanese who joined forces with democratic activists
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) held a news conference to celebrate his party’s success in surviving Saturday’s mass recall vote, shortly after the final results were confirmed. While the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) would have much preferred a different result, it was not a defeat for the DPP in the same sense that it was a victory for the KMT: Only KMT legislators were facing recalls. That alone should have given Chu cause to reflect, acknowledge any fault, or perhaps even consider apologizing to his party and the nation. However, based on his speech, Chu showed
RSS